Finding The Will To Live
by Wolf77
Summary: Alex is once again called to go on another mission against the infamous Scorpia. This time however, Mrs. Jones, the new head of MI6, believes he'll need help. She sends him to retrieve Cammie, Bex, Macey, and Liz from Gallagher Academy to help him with the mission. But what happens when it turns south and they all get kidnapped?
1. Breaking and Entering

**Chapter 1: Breaking and Entering**

Alex sighed. He was sitting in the office of a certain head of MI6 and yet again they wanted to use him. Well Alex was sick of it. There was nothing they could use against him now that Jack was dead. She'd been the only thing that had mattered to him for a long time. Then again, maybe a mission would be good for him. He had no one to come home to now, no reason to live. Either way he'd be forced to listen to Mrs. Jones speech on why he should do it and listen to her blackmail him in to eventually doing it. She did learn from the best after all. Blunt was even better than she was and Alex had felt relief at the announcement of his retirement.

"Alex?" A female voice said pulling him out of his thoughts. Alex shook his head, focusing again on the conversation at hand.

"Yeah. Sorry Mrs. Jones. Could you repeat that? I zoned out for a minute." She nodded.

"Very well. What I said was that we have another mission for you. We wanted to know if you'd be interested." Alex smiled grimly, the expression never quite reaching his eyes.

"Do I have a choice?" He asked sarcastically.

"You always have a choice," Mrs. Jones said very seriously. Alex nodded.

"What's the mission?" He asked. He watched Mrs. Jones eyes widen in surprise at how easily he gave in.

"We want you to take down Scorpia once and for all. There's a meeting in the United States soon. We believe that if we thwart their plan one more time, it could be their downfall for good. They'll disband and we can pick off whatever's left. However, you're going to need more than Smithers' gadgets to help you this time. We want you to have a partner. To get her, you'll need to infiltrate Gallagher Academy in Virginia and convince her to go. She's about your age. Her name is Cameroon Morgan. She has a team too. If they want to go that's fine but we need her for sure."

"Why can't you guys just phone over and have Joe send her to meet me?" Alex asked. "I assume she's CIA and therefore at his discretion." Mrs. Jones shook her head.

"It's not that easy. We aren't supposed to know she exists. We found out about the academy on accident at one of our meetings and I fear if they knew that we know, they'd assume we'd been spying on them, which wouldn't be good for our nations' friendship. Not to mention, she has a very overprotective mother with very good connections in the CIA. Her father died on a mission for them which could account for the overprotectiveness."

"So how am I going to convince her then?" Alex asked. Mrs. Jones shrugged.

"That's your problem. Your flight leaves in five hours. Go down to Smithers to get your materials and then head home and pack. You'll be landing in Virginia to recruit Ms. Morgan. You'll have 48 hours to do so and then you two need to get to California where the Scorpia meeting will take place. From there it's your job to find out what they're up to and stop it. We'll be on standby and will provide all the funds and alias'." Alex nodded and left for Smithers' office.

"Alex! Just the person I wanted to see!" Smithers exclaimed as Alex walked in.

"Hey Smithers," Alex said, genuinely smiling. Mr. Smithers had long since been one of Alex's only friends, certainly the only one at MI6.

"I've got some really great gadgets for you! For one, here's a watch!" Alex raised his eyebrows.

"What does it do?" He asked.

"Well it tells time of course!" Smithers said. He waited a minute to see how Alex would react and when he didn't Smithers sighed. "That was a joke Alex, lighten up a bit old chap. No need to be so serious all the time!" Alex shook his head smiling. "It will automatically change time for you depending on what timezone you're in. This little silver button on the side is also a one was radio. Press it and we'll be able to hear you or anyone within a couple yards from you. The down side is that we won't be able to communicate back, though it sends an alert to us every time you try to communicate so we make sure we'll have someone listening. Another thing it does is if you press the silver button on the other side, it disrupts any signal and cancels any listening devices near you until you turn it off. Downside to that is it also cancels our side so you can't use both buttons at once. Onto the next thing. Sunglasses! They, of course, function as regular sunglasses but when you tap this little button on the side, it will allow you to see any hidden weapons that someone might be concealing. Very helpful. Now these are fun!" Smithers exclaimed holding up two small packets.

"What are they?" Alex asked, taking them from him.

"These are a couple packets of expanding bubble gum. What you do is chew it for ten seconds and then stick it in any lock. It will expand until the lock breaks. Careful you don't swallow it though or it'll expand until it breaks your stomach." Alex nodded his understanding. He turned to leave but Smithers held him back.

"I have one last thing for you Alex. Your aliases. You'll be Alex Green and Cameroon will be your sister Cameroon Green. Should the rest of her team choose to come, a Rebecca Baxter will be Rebecca Hotchner, a Macey McHenry will be Macey Reed, and Elizabeth Sutton will be Elizabeth Heart. We figured since they're new to this, it might be easiest for them to keep their first names in their aliases. Besides Cameroon, all the others are your cousins. Finally, this credit card is unlimited. It's hooked up to an account that we'll make sure always has plenty of money in it. You'll need it for air fair in the United States. Since we didn't know how many people would be going, we didn't purchase your tickets for California so it's up to you to buy them and get there," Smithers informed him, handing him a packet of passports and IDs and a credit card. Alex nodded.

"Thanks for everything Smithers!" He exclaimed. Smithers smiled back.

"No problem. Just try not to get yourself killed alright! I know how dangerous those missions are no matter how much they say they aren't!" Alex grinned as he walked out. He reckoned Smithers was the only person alive that could make him smile anymore. He shrugged it off and headed for home he only had a few hours to pack and get to the airport.

Alex hurried down the terminal towards his flight. It would stop boarding any second but Alex always liked to board at the last minute instead of waiting around. There was less of a chance that someone would see you and follow you. He made it just in time. Giving the lady his ticket, he slipped on board as she closed the door. The plane took off and Alex relaxed into his seat. It landed in Virginia after about eight hours. It felt good to stretch his legs a bit. Alex would have loved to see the little town he had landed in but he had to get to Gallagher Academy. As he left the airport, he pressed the button on his watch.

"I'm in Virginia, on my way to the academy," he discretely said into it. Then he pressed the button again, turning off the comm unit. Mrs. Jones said he would have 48 hours to find Cameroon and convince her to help once he got to Virginia. Alex hailed a taxi and got in.

"Can you take me to a hotel just off the Gallagher Academy. I can't remember the name of it but I have a room there," Alex told the driver using a perfect American accent, just right for this part of the country.

"Yeah. No problem," the driver said. "I think I know which one you're talking about." Alex suffered the driver's constant questions about him for a twenty minute car ride. He answered as best he could using what his alias would say. Finally, he was dropped off at a hotel called the Red Stag. The Gallagher Academy was on a hill overlooking the small town. Alex smiled. Perfect. He thanked the driver and gave him a generous tip. Then he went inside and booked a room. He knew he wasn't going to be spending even one night but he did it anyway for appearances. Anyone following him would never know his true target was the school. Alex waited until midnight before jogging up the hill. When he got there, he was faced with a wall. He didn't know if he could climb it, especially in the dark so he walked around the perimeter slowly. He stopped as he saw what looked like a small tunnel, just big enough for him to walk through. Alex smiled and walked in. This was proving to be easier than he thought.

* * *

Up in her room, Liz woke to a soft beeping. She looked at her computer to see it flashing an alert. One of her alarms in the southeast secret entrance had been tripped. The alarm was specially designed so a rat or bug or something couldn't trip it. It had to be bigger, much bigger. She turned off the alarm and ran into Cammie and Bex's room, shaking them awake urgently.

"Cammie! Bex! Someone tripped the alarm at one of our secret entrances. Southeast one by the weeping willow by the looks of it!" She exclaimed. Cammie bolted upright, pulling on her clothes and motioning for Bex to do the same.

"It's probably just a rat!" Bex moaned sleepily. Cammie threw a pillow at her to wake her up.

"Bex you know only a person could set those things off!" She exclaimed, clearly exasperated. "We have to go check it out! Liz, go get Macey!"

"Already here!" Macey said bursting into the room. Liz explained the situation and Macey paled. "You don't think it could be the Circle do you?" She asked. Cammie shrugged.

"Either way, we've got to go see. Now hurry up!" Now that they were all fully clothed they raced down the halls, slowing as they reached the entrance to the respective tunnel. The statue that hid it slid open to reveal a boy. He paused and looked around before coming fully out. The girls glanced at each other. Who was this boy?

* * *

Alex emerged into the hallway of the Academy. He looked around. Nobody seemed to be around but he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. Alex slipped into the shadows and headed for the nearest staircase. Mrs. Jones had given him the layout of the building. He knew relatively where he had to go to find Cameroon Morgan. There was a sneeze and Alex whipped around, knowing for sure he wasn't alone now.

"Who's there?" He whispered to the shadows. When he didn't get a reply he shrugged, pretending to think he imagined it or something. Then, at the last possible second he whirled around and caught the fist of a girl. She was pretty with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. However, she was attacking him. He maneuvered her arm quickly, slipping behind her and sweeping her legs out from under her. Then he dodged another blow from a pretty bleach blonde girl who was clearly not as good as the first and she landed on top of the other girl. He blinked, staggering backward slightly as a punch from a red head connected with his jaw.

"Nice punch!" He complemented taking her in. She was very stylish and seemed to dress in all designer wear. "You must be Macey. That means the bleach blonde is Elizabeth and the dirty blonde is Cameroon Morgan. Just the person I needed to talk to. Wait a minute," he paused. "Where's Rebecca?" There was a soft thud as a heavy club from one of the displays hit his head. Alex's eyes rolled back into his head and he sank to the floor unconscious.

The girls stared, as Bex was revealed, standing behind the boy with the offending weapon. She put it back.

"Bex!" Cameroon exclaimed. The girl shrugged.

"What? He was creeping me out!" She said. "How do you think he knew all our names?" Macey shrugged.

"I have no idea but I think now is an ideal time to tell your mom about all of this!" She said. Cameroon nodded and ran off to get her mom while the other three babysat to make sure he wouldn't wake up and disappear on them.

 **A/N: Hey everyone! I promise I'm still writing Never Play Dead but I've had this idea going for a while and I wanted to post it and see what you guys think. I only rated this M because there is occasional swearing and also so I wouldn't have to worry about what happens in later chapters since I'm not a hundred percent sure where this is going. Please read and review. I love hearing feedback, especially if it's constructive criticism. If you are a guest and don't have an account, you can still leave reviews. If you leave a name I will acknowledge you after the Author's Note at the end of the chapter after you reviewed. Thanks for reading guys! Hope you liked it!**


	2. Welcome to Gallagher Academy

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Gallagher Academy**

Alex groaned as he woke up. He felt like his head was going to explode. He opened his eyes and immediately closed them again, jerking his head away from the harsh light. He blinked rapidly and tested his bonds as he waited for his eyes to adjust. When they finally did he looked around. He seemed to be tied to a chair in a holding cell with two-way glass.

"Damn!" He muttered under his breath. Now it was going to be a whole lot harder to convince Cameroon to help him. All he could do was wait and stare at the glass.

* * *

The boy woke up with a groan and Cammie looked over to see Bex wince slightly, the only sign that she felt bad for knocking him out. Cameroon's mom and Mr. Solomon where waiting with them. Instead of going in right away like Cammie would've, they waited to see what he would do. They watched the boy wince at the harsh lighting and test his bonds while he waited for his eyes to adjust. As he took in his surroundings he muttered something darkly under his breath and scowled, more like this was just a setback than that he was actually worried.

"He's good," Solomon muttered. "Definitely been in this position before." Then, he sighed and left, walking into the holding cell.

* * *

Alex watched as a dark haired man with green eyes walked into the room.

"What's your name kid?" The man asked.

"I'm not a kid!" Alex exclaimed. "How long have I been out?" The man rolled his eyes.

"Listen kid, I don't think you get how much trouble you're in here," he said calmly.

"Yeah yeah yeah. I broke into a CIA training camp for girls. I get the picture. Now, I'm on a bit of a schedule so how long was I out?" Alex shot back impatiently. The man looked stunned.

"How'd you..." He trailed off. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Listen, since you're clearly not going to tell me how long I've been out, can you get me Cameroon Morgan and her friends? I believe they're the ones that jumped me in the first place." He shot a gleaming, movie star smile at the mirror. "By the way, very impressive Rebecca! Not many people can sneak up on me like that. I congratulate you!" The man stared at him in astonishment for a second before slapping him are across the face. Alex's head snapped around and he shook his head.

"Someone's cranky," he taunted. He just wanted to get out of here and talk to Cameroon so he could go home.

"Who the hell are you!" The man shouted. "Are you a member of the Circle come to kill Cammie?" Alex froze, feeling shock register on his face no matter how hard he tried to keep it neutral.

"Are we talking about Cameroon Morgan? She's a walking target? Shit! Just like them to not tell me something important like that!" Alex exclaimed.

"Who's them?" The man asked. Alex grew silent, gazing grimly at the man. "Tell me dammit!" The man screamed, slamming his fist on the table between them. Alex didn't even flinch and the man stormed out of the room.

"What the hell was that?" Mrs. Morgan yelled. "He's a child. You can't just smack him around whenever you feel like it!" She screamed.

"Yeah, well how the hell does he know about us? Who the hell even is he? His target is your daughter, that's for certain and he knew all her best friends!" Solomon stormed back into the holding cell.

Alex waited patiently for the man to speak. When he didn't Alex spoke up.

"Okay, I'm a little confused as to who you are. I know that Cameroon's, Cammie's mother is the headmistress of this school but who are you?" Mr. Solomon calmed down a little.

"I'm one of the teachers here. Cammie and her friends are my students. My name is Mr. Solomon."

"As in Joe Solomon, the CIA operative? When did they take you out of the field?" Alex asked. He remembered his uncle talking about a Joe Solomon, an American he worked with at "the bank" once. Apparently, he was one of his dad's friends too.

"How in the hell. . . Who are you?" Mr. Solomon yelled. Alex smiled.

"Wouldn't you like to know. Now, are you gonna let me speak to Cammie or are we gonna do this the hard way in which I escape, get captured again and you show those girls in there how a real interrogation is done. Do you think they're ready for that Joe?" The man seemed to be trying to decide.

"What do you mean real interrogation?" Solomon asked. Alex glanced at the mirror, trying to decide how far he should go and how much he should egg the man on.

"Oh you know," he said, looking back at Solomon. "The usual, twenty questions where I get all my nails ripped out, water boarding, always very effective, or there's the classic grab a knife an cut me open. Heck I've even been electrocuted! You're choice, the easy way or the hard and painful way, and I mean painful for both of us." Solomon looked conflicted and a woman came into the room.

"Ah, you must be the lovely Mrs. Morgan, headmistress of this school. If you don't mind, I'd like a word with your daughter and I'm kind of on a tight schedule so sooner would be better than later." The woman completely ignored him and instead started talking to Solomon in a low voice.

"Cammie wants to talk to him. She thinks that maybe she can find out what he wants. I have to go. The rest of the school should be at breakfast right about now. We can't let them know anything about what's going on here." Alex nodded approvingly.

"I knew that girl was smart! I just need to talk to her. It's all I want, I swear," he told them. Solomon jumped. It wasn't until a couple seconds later that Alex realized that they had been speaking in German and he had jumped in, speaking the language as a native would, with a perfect accent. He wiped his face completely blank, devoid of any emotion, waiting for whatever would come next.

"How did you. . .?" Mrs. Morgan asked. Alex decided to play dumb for now.

"How did I what, speak German? Come on! Seriously? A mysterious and if I do say so myself, quite handsome young man shows up in a school that's supposedly very well protected, a spy school, and knows and does amazing things but when I speak German that's when your surprised?" Mr. Solomon shook his head, also clearly shocked.

"No, how did you speak it with such a perfect accent?" He asked. Alex shrugged.

"I lived in Germany with my uncle for awhile a couple years back," he said, spinning the lie quickly. Solomon shook his head.

"Just like in every language you would have an American accent. You don't get that perfect unless you've lived in Germany almost your whole life which you clearly haven't since you don't have a German accent when speaking English." Alex shrugged.

"Uh oh! Caught in a lie! I'm so scared!" He said sarcastically. "I don't know how I do it okay? Now can I please talk to Cammie?" Both adults were taken aback at his attitude and it showed on their faces. He, as always, had no expression, a blank, unreadable mask. They waited for a minute, waiting to see what he would say of himself, if anything.

"Look, yeah I'm being kinda rude right now but interrogations bring out the worst in me and it's made worse by the time limit I have right now. If I could just talk to Cammie that would be great." Mrs. Morgan nodded slowly. She and Mr. Solomon turned around and walked out of the room. Alex waited patiently and a few minutes later Cameroon Morgan walked in. She looked a little scared but Alex could tell she was trying her best to put on a brave face.

"Don't be scared Cammie. I just want to talk. I promise I'm not the bad guy here," Alex said reassuringly. He smiled warmly at her and it seemed to give her confidence.

"Just so you know, they're all in the next room listening in and if you try anything they'll be in here faster than you can say Jiminy Cricket," she said. Alex tsked her.

"That will never do. I'm sorry but I can't have them listening in." He smiled at the mirror. "Don't worry. I'll be a good little boy and I won't hurt her but I need to talk to her alone." With that he pressed the button on his watch that turned off whatever bug they had in the room that let them listen in.

"What do you mean they can't listen in? What are you going to do?" Cammie asked suspiciously.

"I've already done it. My watch is one of my gadgets. It can disrupt any signal from any listening device within a few yards of me. They can't hear anything going on in this room right now, which is exactly how I need it. No offense but Joe's kind of a jackass and your mom is a little overprotective." Cammie glanced uneasily at the mirror and Alex rolled his eyes.

"I told you I'm not going to hurt you. I already would've if I were going to. These bonds are nothing to what I've had before and to be honest, Joe sucks at interrogation too."

"It doesn't mean the interrogation is over," Cammie said. Just then, the door opened. Alex casually glanced over Cammie's shoulder and his eyes lit up mischievously.

"Rebecca! To what do we owe the pleasure?" He asked pleasantly.

"Don't give me that shit you jerk! You did something! What was it?" Alex glanced behind her to make sure the door was closed before answering.

"Short and too the point. That's so American," he drawled pretending to be bored as he scrutinized her. He had slipped back into his natural British accent to see how the two girls would react. Despite the initial shock that had shown all over their faces for a moment, they recovered relatively quickly. Rebecca scowled at him and he smiled.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked.

"Bex," Cammie warned as she advanced on him. Rebecca, Bex, ignored her. Instead, the girl grabbed Alex roughly by his shirt collar, lifting him slightly off the chair he was sitting on.

"Oh, strong!" Alex smirked, purposely egging her on. "Please, I can't wait to see what you'll do! It can't be worse than what I've already been through."

"Bex!" Cammie cried exasperatedly. After glaring at Alex for a minute, she dropped him suddenly. Alex didn't let any surprise show on his face when she did.

"Who are you?" Cammie asked again.

"Would you believe me if I told you?" Alex asked rhetorically.

"Try me!" Bex challenged.

"I'm MI6, and I need Cammie's help." The girls looked incredulously at him so he just continued. "I came here to talk specifically to you Cammie. I've read all the files we have on you. Your nickname is the Chameleon. You're always surrounded by a small group of friends though you have many. This small group consists of Bex, Elizabeth, and Macey. Your mom is Mrs. Rachel Morgan and your dad died in the field. Your first boyfriend was somebody named Josh and then it was Zachary Goode. However, they did not tell me that you were a walking target, which is just like them. Then again, I am too so I don't think it'll make too much difference. Also, I had no idea about Joe Solomon. What I do know about him is that he is, or was, a CIA operative at one point."

"So what do you need me for?" Cammie asked curiously. Alex smiled but before he could explain Bex cut in.

"Just a minute buster! Cammie's not going anywhere without us!" Alex's smile widened. He had been hoping for this response.

"I'd hoped you would say that. I've got aliases for you, Cammie, Elizabeth, and Macey. Cammie and I look close enough that we're siblings visiting our dear aunt. You guys will be our cousins since you don't look as similar to us. The mission will take us to California. Once there I'll need every one of you to help be figure out what Scorpia is planning this time. MI6 says if I manage to bring them down again, they'll be weakened enough that they'll either disband or weak enough that MI6 can pick off the rest of the group. What do you think? Sound like fun?" Both girls were frowning.

"What's Scorpia?" Cammie asked.

"Why should we trust you when we don't even know your name?" Bex asked.

"Fair questions," Alex commented. "My name's Alex. I'd give you my last name but that would be too easy. Plus if we get caught, you'll be better off not knowing it. Scorpia is the organization that I've gone on a ton of missions against with a hundred percent success rate and I'm not about to fail this one. They're a terrorist organization. The name's an acronym standing for Sabatoge, Corruption, Intelligence, and Assassination, the last part being their main focus."

"So they're the one's that want your head," Bex said. It wasn't a question.

"Sorry?" Alex asked, not quite sure what she meant by it.

"You said you were a walking target too. Scorpia's the organization that wants you dead." She explained. Alex nodded.

"Unfortunately yes and they've come pretty close on multiple occasions. I have the bullet wound to prove it," he said. He immediately saw their eyes search him for the scar and he smirked. "You won't be able to see it. My shirt is covering it. Remind me to show you sometime."

"I'll hold you to that Alex," Bex commented. Then she sighed. "Well, I better go explain that you're not dangerous. Well, not to us."

"Cool," Alex said, standing up and letting the ropes fall to the ground. "This way?" He walked passed them toward the door and Bex grabbed his shirt collar pulled him back.

"How in the hell...?" She trailed off.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he said slyly, winking at her.

"Well either way, if you barge in there before us they're gonna rip you to shreds thinking that you're trying to escape or something," Cammie cautioned.

"Actually, I hadn't thought of that," he murmured. Bex opened the door and Cammie and Alex followed.

 **A/N: Hey guys. Sorry this is a little late. I wanted to get this up by yesterday at the latest but it obviously didn't happen. Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this and thanks to those of you who have followed and/or favorited this. I'm glad you guys are liking it.**


	3. The Beginning

**Chapter 3: The Beginning**

"You untied him?" Mr. Solomon screamed in alarm at to the girls as they walked in with Alex. "We don't even know his name yet? Bex, did you even figure out what he did to the sound system?"

"Relax," Alex told him, trying to calm him down. "It's back to normal. I didn't do anything permanent." He had gone back to his American accent again and Bex gave him a slightly surprised look. She had already gotten used to his British one. Alex gave her a sideways glance to let her know to keep it on the down low for now and she took the hint.

"Oh that's very comforting," Mr. Solomon said sarcastically, having not seen the exchange between the two. "Especially considering that I have no idea who you are or why you're here." Alex sighed.

"It's Alex and I've told you about a hundred million times now all I wanted was to talk to Cammie. I need her help."

"Speaking of that," Cammie said, figuring it was just better to get it all out with and deal with it now, "Bex, Liz, Macey and I are all going to California with Alex for a few days."

"What?" Mrs. Morgan asked, going deathly pale. "Cammie you can't. What about the Circle?"

"Alex knows about the Circle," Cammie mentioned, trying to play innocent. Her mom rolled her eyes.

"That is not what I mean. I mean that you have a price on your head and the only place where I can keep you safe is here!"

"Mom, Alex has a price on his head too. He needs help okay? We're the only ones who can help him," Cammie said, giving her mother a look that said you can't stop me.

"What does he even need help with?" Mr. Solomon asked unwilling to just let her go. "We don't even know his last name!"

"Trust me, it's better if you don't," Alex interjected. "Maybe if we're successful, I'll tell you."

"When do you have to leave?" Mrs. Morgan sighed, sounding resigned. Cammie's eyes shot up.

"We can go? Really?" She asked, astounded. Her mom nodded.

"It doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to stop you. How much time do you have?" Everyone looked to Alex.

"That depends, how long was I out?" He asked. He glanced to Bex for the answer, enjoying watching her squirm a little.

"Uh, like six hours. Sorry about that. I thought you might have been from the Circle." Alex waved her off.

"That's alright. Happens more than you might think. Anyways, it's better than being drugged. Drugs make you more sluggish, you wake up slower, and you tend to be a little looser with the tongue than you should be when you first wake up. So let's see, I was out for six hours, I arrived in Virginia about ten hours before that, and I've been in your interrogation room for another hour or so. I was given 48 hours to recruit you and get us all plane tickets, which I still haven't done and get to California so I'd say about five hours. The flight itself will take us about five and a half hours and we'll have to sleep and eat at some point and I still have to brief Macey and Elizabeth. So there goes about 24 hours, so yeah, not much more than five hours. I'll book the flight while you guys pack. Oh and I have aliases for all of you. I assume you can handle that."

The girls all nodded and left to their rooms to pack while Alex got on a phone to book flights. When they were finally ready to go, Mrs. Morgan walked them to the front door. The girls walked ahead towards the car that would take them all to the airport. Alex already had his things from the hotel in it. As the girls got in, Mrs. Morgan gently grasped Alex's arm with just enough pressure to make him pay attention and stop him from getting in.

"Watch out for them," she told him in a low voice, looking him straight in the eye. "They've never done anything like this before and I swear, if anything happens to any of them I'll kill you myself!" Alex held her gaze, just as serious a look on his face.

"It's a dangerous game we'll be playing and if your school is half of what I've heard it to be, they already know it. Having said that, I will do anything and everything I can to keep them safe." He gave her a half smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he shook her off and got in the car. She had a sudden suspicion that he'd been through more that she could ever dream of someone at his age. "Don't worry, they'll be back before you know it," he told her. With that final reassurance, he shut the door and the car drove off.

Once again, Alex raced down the terminal, though this time he had four girls following him. They made it just in time and slipped on the plane as the last passengers on.

"That was cutting it a little close don't you think handsome?" Macey smiled, sitting down next to him. He gave her a charming half smile.

"Maybe," he agreed, not bothering to elaborate.

"Well why didn't we get here earlier and just wait?" She asked. The other girls leaned in, waiting to hear his reasoning. He shrugged.

"I'm just paranoid I guess. The more last minute and spontaneous you are, the less people are able to predict you or follow you somewhere." They continued to look at him, wanting to hear more of his apparent wisdom. They wanted to learn from him. They also still needed to be briefed. He leaned back into his seat and tried to ignore them but eventually their curious stares started making him uncomfortable. He rubbed the bullet wound on his chest, absentmindedly.

"Are you hurt?" Liz asked, breaking the relative silence of the group.

"Hmm?" He asked, suddenly realizing what he had been doing. "Oh, uh, no. It's nothing." He said. Cammie rolled her eyes and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. She knew from experience that spies, especially the male ones, tended to downplay their injuries. He tried to push her away but she gave him a look that made him stop. What she found under his shirt however, made her gasp.

"Alex is that. . .?" Liz asked.

"The bullet wound," Bex breathed, her eyes growing huge. Along with the huge bullet wound practically right over his heart, they could see a couple other scars and burns.

"How much PT did you have to go through for that?" Macey asked, clearly impressed. Alex shook his head.

"None. Well, about a week. I was supposed to go through more but I got into some trouble that resulted in another mission." Liz's eyes widened even further.

"That's not nearly enough! My uncle's a doctor, I should know." Alex nodded in agreement but remained silent so she continued. "Is that why it still hurts?" He gave her a half smile that was more like a grimace and she realized that he was not comfortable sharing this much about himself.

"Uh, no. Not exactly. It's complicated. Snake says it's fantom pain, meaning it's all in my head. It only 'hurts' when I'm stressed or uncomfortable." Cammie batted at his hand and he realized he had started doing it again. He grimaced at her and continued. "It's one of the very few tells I have though I don't doubt that you'll figure out at least one other before the mission is over." Macey opened her mouth to ask another question, no doubt something like who was Snake or how did he get his other scars but he jumped in before she could get a word out.

"Alright, you guys need to be briefed. Might as well do that on the plane to save time. I don't know how much time we'll have once we get there and we'll need to figure out a hotel or something when we arrive before we can do anything so, yeah." He passed out the passports and IDs that Smithers had given him.

"So our cover is that we're all related and we're going to visit our aunt. An agent will meet us at the gate and pretend to be just that. She'll most likely be MI6 as am I and before you say it, yes I am British and wow don't I have an amazing fake American accent." The girls all smiled at this comment.

"Whatever she says, just kinda go along with it. Always remember to keep your eyes open, you never know who could be watching and I can guarantee that it won't be the friendliest gaze. As I told Cammie and Bex in the interrogation room, Cammie and I are siblings, the rest of you are cousins. Keep track of the lies you tell and stick to them. That's one of the most important things. Our 'aunt' will help us to a hotel and help us get checked in. We'll have two rooms. I don't know who wants to split up with who but I suggest not going girls and boys since I'm the only guy here. Once in California, we'll be looking to a terrorist organization that goes by the name of Scorpia. We just need to find out what they're planning and get it back to MI6 so they can take care of the he problem."

"How about Alex and I share a room and you three share a room. Considering we're siblings it might look out of place if we have separate rooms," Cammie suggested.

"How is that fair?" Macey whined. "No way I'm letting you get the room with the hot guy!" Everyone gave her a look except for Alex who was skillfully avoiding all eye contact now that the briefing was over.

 **A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reading this. Here is the third chapter. Please read and leave reviews. You can do this even if you are a guest. I really appreciate all feedback. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Shamwow- Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad you're liking it so far. I really enjoyed writing it so I'm glad there are people like you who enjoy reading it. Please keep leaving your amazing reviews. I really appreciate them. Thanks again!**

 **-Wolf**

 **Anonymous- Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad you are liking it. I will try to update this story every week by like Wednesday so stay tuned. Thanks!**

 **-Wolf**


	4. The Soldier

**Chapter 4: The Soldier**

The rest of the flight was, as Alex kind of suspected, uneventful. When they finally landed, Alex got up and stretched his tight muscles, grabbing his luggage. The girls followed his example and they all walked off the plane together. As they wandered off the terminal, the girls were looking around for whoever the agent was that was supposed to be their aunt but Alex was careful to keep an eye on the neighboring buildings in case there were snipers. Cameroon tapped Alex on the shoulder and he glanced at her.

"Alex, we found Auntie Jessie," she said, motioning to a woman waving to them. Alex sighed with relief as he recognized the face of Erin Rivers. He had worked with her on a different mission. MI6 had assigned her to him the mission right after Jack had died, figuring a female presence might help him cope. Needless to say it didn't work in the slightest. Still, it was nice that they had paired up again.

"Auntie Jessie!" Alex said with a genuine smile. He gave her a big hug.

"Alex! How are you? I've missed you." Then she turned to the girls, giving them each a hug also. "And girls, my you've gotten big. I haven't seen you in ages! I'm sorry you couldn't stay at my apartment but it's a little small for all of you. How's about I take you guys to your hotel?" Jessie said. It was a quick thirty minute drive to the hotel. Jessie checked them in and walked them up to their adjoining rooms. She and Alex went in first, motioning for silence. Jessie handed Alex an electronic device and took out one of her own. They each took a room and walked their devices along the walls slowly. Next they scanned the furniture of each room and last but not least, the bathrooms. The four girls watched with mild interest.

"Alright, we can talk now," Jessie informed them when the two were finished. She turned to Alex.

"Alex I'm so happy to see you! Are you alright? How are you holding up?" She, of course, knew about Jack and she was being thankfully vague about it, knowing also, that he didn't like to talk about it.

"I'm great Erin! But god, Ben's gonna kill me when he hears I said yes to them again!" Alex said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Who's Ben and am I to assume that we are talking about MI6 when you say them?" Cammie asked curiously. Alex nodded.

"Yep, and Ben's an MI6 agent too. He used to be in an SAS unit with me, the K-unit. He's probably my best friend and the only one I can really talk to. No offense," he added casting a sideways glance at Erin.

"None taken," she replied. Then she held her hand out to the girls. "I'm Erin Rivers by the way, nice to meet you all." Everyone shook hands.

"So, what were you doing with those devices?" Macey asked.

"Looking for bugs," Erin and Alex said in unison. They glanced at each other and started laughing.

"Man! Even when we haven't seen each other in forever I love that we can still do that!" Alex said. Erin smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Alright well, I should leave you guys. You must be tired after that plane ride. I suggest dinner at Luigi's, an Italian restaurant just down the street and then you might want to get to bed. Tomorrow you guys will have to scout out Scorpia. Good luck!" Considering it was closer to seven o'clock Virginia time (ten o'clock California time), they decided to take her advice. The food, everyone agreed, was delicious, and by the time they got back to their room, they were all ready for bed, especially since they knew they would have a big day ahead. Cammie went and got dressed in the girls' room and Alex decided he might as well get dressed too, even though he knew he wouldn't sleep much.

Cammie gave a small gasp as she came back into the room she was sharing with Alex. He had taken off his shirt to change it for bed and it exposed his scarred torso for her to see. He whipped around, not having realized she'd re-entered until it was too late.

"Oh Alex," she whispered.

"Cammie! I can. . . uh. . . explain," he said, clearly horrified that she's seen. She walked over slowly, staring all the while at all the burns and scars scattered across his body. She placed a cool hand on his chest but pulled back when he shuddered slightly. Still awestruck she reached out again, tracing a particularly big scar in its diagonal path across his stomach. He exhaled breathlessly at the touch but didn't pull away.

"What happened to you?" Cammie asked. Glancing up to see him watching her. She held the gaze and as she stared into his eyes she didn't see the eyes of a boy, but of someone much older. They weren't the eyes of a teenager at all but the eyes of someone that had seen too much and grown up too quickly. They were the eyes of a soldier. She waited patiently for an answer and after a slight pause he gave it to her.

"Scorpia," he whispered. It was just one word, just one, simple word, and yet it made all the difference. In saying that one word, she could see and hear how truly broken he was, despite the masks and facades he wore 24-7.

"Cammie. . . Oh, am I interrupting something?" It was Bex and like that, the spell was broken. Cammie jumped, turning to Bex and when she glanced back, Alex had a shirt on and was moving toward one of the two beds in the room, a book in hand. If Cammie hadn't known any better, she'd almost have believed that she'd imagined the whole thing.

"No, definitely not," she said quickly, too quickly. She could tell that Bex saw through the whole thing but the other girl didn't say anything. "What do you need?"

"Oh, we uh. . . Just wanted to know what time we're leaving tomorrow and if we'll be back?" Bex glanced over Cammie's shoulder at Alex who had his head buried in his book. Cammie also turned, not sure of the answer. Realizing that the conversation had stopped, Alex glanced up at the two.

"Oh uh, we might as well come back. We'll just be doing recon so it's not as if it's dangerous enough for us to move around a lot. I'm good with whenever you guys want to get up. We have to find the building Scorpia will be in but it's not that hard. I know what it looks like and the layout and everything. How about like 8?" Bex nodded and went back into the other room. Alex turned back to his book and Cammie got into bed.

"Alex are you gonna sleep?" Cammie asked. He shook his head.

"Nah. I'll be up for awhile. I can turn out the light for you though. I have a flashlight. She nodded, rolling over and closing her eyes. After a few seconds she heard the light switch click. She heard a page turn every couple of minutes and she was soon lulled to sleep.

Cammie woke up with a start and at first she didn't know what had woken her. The clock on the wall said it was three in the morning. She glanced around and her eyes landed on Alex's unconscious form. He was sprawled out on the bed with his book on his chest. His flashlight had fallen to the floor, casting a dim light around the room. She was just about to roll over and go back to sleep when she heard the low muttering. It was Alex. He was talking in his sleep. She tried to decide whether to wake him or not. She was reluctant to, since she knew this would be one of her only opportunities to learn anything about him. No, she wouldn't wake him.

"No stop!" He moaned. "Julius please, you can't! Julius!" Alex had broken out in a cold sweat and he looked pale. "Please Julius, she's all I have left!" She?

"Jack get out of the car! Please get out of the car!" He pleaded. His voice, which had been steadily rising, suddenly dropped to a whisper and it unnerved her. Cammie slipped out of the bed, padding across the room to Alex. Maybe she should wake him up after all.

"Julius please! Please!" The boy sobbed.

"Alex," Cammie whispered, shaking his shoulder. "Alex!" He bolted upright.

"Jack!" He cried breathlessly.

"Alex, Alex it's okay! You're fine. It was a nightmare. That's all it was, a nightmare." He shook his head and she could see the tears streaming down his face in the dim lighting. "No, it wasn't, it isn't. It's real. She's gone and I killed her!" He sobbed. "It was all my fault. She shouldn't have been there. You shouldn't be here! I shouldn't have gone to you. What am I gonna do? I can't do this on my own!" Cammie hugged him. Looking into his eyes and seeing his terror, she knew she couldn't just leave him no matter what he seemed to think was best.

"Shh. Alex I'm not going anywhere. What do you mean you killed her?" She asked gently, holding him.

"MI6 forced me on another mission. They faked a shooting by Scorpia and sent me away. I wanted her to come. She knew about them and she was always worrying. It was supposed to be simple recon but it's never that easy. We got caught and Julius, my clone, blew up the car she escaped in. It was all my fault. She wasn't supposed to be there. I was selfish. MI6 destroyed my life and Scorpia got rid of any reason I had left to live. I grew up without parents because Scorpia killed them. When I was fourteen, they killed my uncle and MI6 blackmailed me into my first mission. On my ninth mission in only two years, they killed Jack, and I've only been on a handful since. I'm almost 18 now and I have no one. I've had no one for nearly as long as I can remember!" His voice was filled with bitterness and regret.

Cammie pulled back slightly in surprise at his tone, remembering just hours ago as he joked around with her and the others. As she looked into his eyes, she saw the soldier she had before, along with an abyss of sadness. She couldn't take it anymore. She crawled into bed with him, laying her head on his chest and pulling his arm around her as he leaned back against the head board. He had quieted now and she almost thought he had fallen back asleep but when she looked up, he was staring at the wall directly across from them with an empty, haunted expression.

"Can I tell you a secret Cammie?" Alex asked, his voice so totally devoid of emotion that it made her look up. He was still staring straight ahead.

"Sure Alex," she said.

"People say a I have the luck of the devil that I've managed to survive through so many missions but I don't. I have the worst luck in the universe. Everybody I love is dead. I haven't got anyone left, nothing left to live for. My biggest secret is that I don't want to live through this mission. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to do everything I can to keep you guys out of it, but when push comes to shove, I don't want to live. The only reason I said yes was to wipe out the organization that took so much from me and after that's accomplished, I'm done. I don't want to be left on my own in a world I have no business in anymore." Cammie sat up, looking him in the face.

"You can't mean that Alex!" She exclaimed, but even as she said it she knew he did. He held her gaze steadily.

"Do you want to know why I hardly sleep?" He asked. She didn't. She already knew the answer, but she felt her head nod and heard herself say yes. "I hardly sleep because every time I close my eyes, I see her, Jack, being killed. Only in the dream, it isn't Julius killing her, it's me." Cammie felt her eyes tear up and she laid back on his chest without saying anything, knowing that her silence spoke for her. As she drifted off back to sleep curled protectively in his arms, she couldn't help but reflect on how the espionage world changed people, and for the first time in her life, she questioned whether she wanted to do it, to become the thing that ruined Alex's life.

 **A/N: I'm sorry this is so late guys. I'm going to try to get up the next chapter of this story later tonight. Thanks to everyone who review and who has made it this far. I really appreciate all you guys. Special shout out to Shamwow an Ilkspires. You guys have been so supportive. Thank you.**

 **Please keep read and review! For those of you who have been reviewing, please keep doing so. Thanks guys and sorry again that this is so late. I have my own computer now but it doesn't have word so I have to try to convince my dad to let me use his computer. Hopefully that'll change soon.**

 **Wolf out! ;)**


	5. Captured

**Chapter 5: Captured**

Cammie woke up in the morning surprised to still be on Alex's chest. She would've thought that the spy would've pushed her off long ago, as she could tell he usually didn't get much sleep. When she glanced up at him, he was still asleep and his arm was still curled protectively around her. Unwilling to wake him, she tried to slowly detach herself, ready to get the other girls. His eyes opened briefly but he closed them drowsily.

"Please stay," he mumbled. "So far, you're the only thing that has managed to keep the nightmares at bay." Cammie nodded and settled back down.

"Alex, did you mean what you said last night, about not wanting to live through this mission." He nodded tiredly.

"What I'm doing now can't be classified as living. I'm merely here, surviving, and only just. They tried to get me to talk to a shrink because my PTSD has caused severe insomnia. I only ever get an hour or two a night, if that, before the nightmares come back."

"What are the nightmares? Maybe it would help if you talked to someone," Cammie suggested. Alex smiled, opening his eyes to glance back down at her. As she gazed at him, she finally saw through his mask to see the truly haunted boy behind, the soldier that she had been catching glimpses of, and she could finally see that his smile held no warmth, no humor, just emptiness and the hint of what once was.

"People. . . From my past," he finally answered her after a long pause. "My best friend Tom who finally gave in to the rumors circulating school about me and turned his back, my friend Sabina and her family, who died because of me, because I tend to bring my work home with me unintentionally, my godfather, who my friend Ben shot in self defense, Ben himself, who's given up almost everything for me, my SAS unit who's not seen me now in some time but whose members email me every once in awhile to make sure I'm okay, and finally, my housekeeper, like a sister to me, who came with me on a mission and died. They all blame me for something and I accept their blame as just and well deserved." Alex's eyes had taken on a far away look in remembrance of those he mentioned. After a minute, he shook himself, and his smile seemed to become almost more genuine, though Cammie could still see through it fairly easily.

"Well, better get the girls up," he said. "I'll let you do that. I'm gonna get dressed and head down for breakfast. Get down there when you can." Cammie nodded, moving into the girl's room to wake them up and get dressed themselves. As she pulled the door shut behind her, she caught one last glimpse of Alex's scarred torso.

As soon as Cammie was gone, Alex changed as quickly as he could, grabbed his gadgets, and headed down for breakfast. He managed to catch an elevator by himself and he pressed the silver button on his watch.

"The girls and I arrived in California last night. We are going to do recon on the Scorpia meeting today. If I don't radio in within the next 24 hours, send someone. And Mrs. Jones, I sincerely hope you're more prompt than Blunt was if it comes down to it." That was his last sentiment and he pressed the button again, effectively ending his transmission. The elevator doors slid open and he walked over to the breakfast buffet the hotel made each morning. Soon, he was joined by the four girls.

"So Alex, just curious, how long did you train before field work?" Macey asked. Alex glanced up from his jam and toast.

"Train? Uh, a week. You could say it was a crash course," he said, clearly uncomfortable with sharing more info about himself. He realized however, that if they were going to do a mission together, they had to trust each other and it is hard to trust someone you don't know hardly anything about. He had read all their files. It was only fair that they got a sneak peak at his at the very least.

"A week!" Bex exclaimed. Alex nodded.

"Yeah, with the SAS. It's basically the British version of your Navy Seals. I worked with K-unit and my code name was Cub because I was so much younger than any of them. None of us were allowed to know the actual names of the others. However, I've worked with them a couple other times so I know all their names now, but we pretty much call each other by our code names. Ben's the only one I call by his real name," Alex explained.

"So what's his code name?" Liz asked.

"Fox." Soon they were done with breakfast and they left for the recon mission. It didn't take them long to find the building they knew the Scorpia's meeting to be in. They walked into the building adjacent and a guard stopped them.

"What are you kids doing in here?" He asked

"We came to visit our aunt Jessie," Alex answered, spinning the lie easily. Erin had been set up in this building so they had a plausible excuse to be in it. She wouldn't be here today however. If the bored guard had bothered to check, he would've seen that she called in sick. She was in fact, on her way back to England, now that her job was done. She would send a resignation when she got back. The guard waved them on and they continued up to the 13th floor, the one that Scorpia would be having their meeting on in the building just across the street. Knowing that Erin's office would be empty and would have a good view of Scorpia's building, they used her office. Once in, Alex shut the door and pressed the silver button on his watch to disrupt any listening devices hidden in the room. Then, he grabbed a pair of binoculars that Erin had strategically left for them in a drawer of her desk.

"We can speak freely," Alex said, raising the binoculars to his eyes and looking across the street. He could already see a group of people getting ready to start. "I've disrupted the signal of any listening devices in here so no one will be able to listen in."

"Wait how..." Liz began.

"My watch," Alex interrupted. "It's one of my gadgets. It has button that'll turn off any listening devices within a couple yards of me," he explained. He decided not to tell them about the one-way radio, at least, he wouldn't tell them right now. Liz's eyes lit up.

"So that's what you did in the interrogation room!" She exclaimed, suddenly understanding. Alex just snorted.

"You call that interrogation. That was more like both sides asking questions and nobody really answering any of them. Plus, it wasn't nearly as violent as my experiences with interrogation." Cammie paled at his words, remembering the scars that were abundant on his torso. He noticed and shot her a look that clearly told her to keep it to herself.

"Well it's genius!" Liz praised. "Did you make it? You'll have to show me how! Do you have any other gadgets on you?" Alex held up his hand to stop the barrage of questions. He was feeling a little overwhelmed by them all.

"Wow! One question at a time!" He exclaimed smiling. "No, I didn't make it. My friend Mr. Smithers makes all my gadgets. He likes it because he has to try to hide them in things a teenager would have. He's MI6's tech expert and he designs all sorts of stuff like that. And yeah, I have two other gadgets, expanding bubble gum and sunglasses."

"What are those?" Bex asked. Suddenly, everyone was curious and Alex again felt uncomfortable at being the center of attention.

"Expanding bubble gum is chewed for ten seconds and then you stick it in a lock and it'll expand until it breaks the lock. My sunglasses can see any hidden weapons on someone." He turned back toward the window, once again lifting the binoculars. He was startled to find that the meeting had already started.

"What's happening?" Cammie asked. Bex had grabbed the pair of binoculars they had brought with them and was standing near Alex.

"They're just talking," Bex said. "How are we supposed to tell what's going on?" Alex hadn't heard her. He was busy mouthing something to himself.

"Alex?" Macey asked.

"Hmm?" Came the distracted reply.

"Are you lip reading?" Liz asked. Alex nodded.

"Yeah, but it's harder to do in Russian. I've only picked it up within the last year or so. Can someone hand me my sunglasses?" Cammie dutifully handed him the sunglasses and he put them on and looked through the binoculars with them and smirked.

"What?" Bex asked. She had handed off the second pair of binoculars to Macey, who was trying to figure out what they were saying as well.

"They don't trust each other. Every single one of them is carrying a firearm and I'm almost positive they all brought 'escorts.'"

"Wanna give me a turn?" Cammie asked. Alex nodded and handed her the binoculars. When their hands brushed, there was a moment of eye contact before Alex moved away, trying to act normal. Cammie fought to keep her face straight.

"Oh, tension," Bex said slyly. Alex, who had filled a cup of water choked on it and Cammie smiled, turning towards the window to conceal a fierce blush.

"Hey Alex," Cammie called. "I think they got to the part about their plan." Alex walked over to the window and Macey handed him her binoculars. Looking through it, Alex saw a PowerPoint of the plan. Unfortunately, he couldn't make out enough details. Only that it was big. Scorpia was obviously trying to ramp up more support and business for themselves. Alex knew if he could terminate this plan, they would lose support altogether and Scorpia would have gone from being the world's top terrorist organization to being disbanded. It would completely destroy them. He handed the binoculars back to Macey and turned to Liz.

"You're a tech genius right?" He asked. She nodded, blushing. "Do you think you could log into their system and download that file?" Liz paled.

"Uh, I don't know. I've never tried anything this big before. Just little training exercises." Alex smiled at her reassuringly.

"That's all this is. Just think of it as a training exercise. I need you to download the file and send a copy to MI6. Do you think you can do that?" Liz nodded uncertainly.

"I can try." She said timidly. Alex nodded as Liz got onto the office computer. She started clacking away and Alex found it fascinating. Macey and Cammie kept watching the meeting. Suddenly, Liz gasped.

"Oh no! Alex, I've been discovered!" She exclaimed, panicking.

"It's okay," Alex said calmly. "I'm sure they have a really complex system. It was the world's number one terrorist organization after all. Just keep going. We need that file. There was a few more seconds of clacking before another panicked voice broke the otherwise silence of the room.

"Alex, they're pointing over here," Macey informed.

"What?" He asked, grabbing the binoculars that Cammie held out to him. Macey had spoken the truth. The room was starting to fall into disarray as the group panicked but there were more than a few people pointing at their building.

"Alex, they're tracking the signal back to this computer," Liz informed.

"What have you got so far?" Alex asked, trying to determine if they would have enough time to finish downloading the file and send it.

"75% done. The rest of the download will take about three minutes and sending it will take another two." Liz dutifully replied. Alex tried to do the calculations in his head. It would probably take Scorpia about five minutes to get over to the building. It would take another two minutes or so for them to ride the elevator up.

"Keep it going. It'll be a close shave but we're gonna save the world a lot of trouble if we pull this off. Precautions, everyone stay away from the window. We definitely know they all have guns and I can attest to them all being excellent marksmen. I trained on Malogosto, in their training facility once. It's a long story that I'll tell you about later." Another few minutes passed by and everyone anxiously watched the clock.

"Done downloading," Liz called out. Nobody took their eyes from the clock. Two minutes passed, then two-thirty.

"What's the hold up Liz?" Alex asked, starting to sweat.

"It's not letting me through. I need a code of some sort to send it," she replied. Alex swore under his breath, jumping up to look at the computer screen. The screen displayed a three word password.

"What'll happen if I get this wrong?" He asked Liz. She shrugged.

"Maybe nothing or it may turn off the whole computer and we'd lose everything." Alex sighed, running his hand through his hair as the thought. Three words, the first with five letters, the second with three, and the third with seven. Suddenly he had an idea.

"Alright, let me try." He leaned over Liz, reaching around her for the keys. Slowly he typed _Royal and General_ , then pressed enter. There was an agonizing second where the processing wheel came up and he thought he got it wrong, but then the light turned green and it sent. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and sprinted out the door with Alex taking up the rear to make sure they all stayed together. They made it to the elevator on the opposite end of the hall and pressed the down arrow. As the doors to their elevator opened, so did the doors of the elevator they'd rode up in. Out came two men, both with Scorpia tattoos on their shoulders. Alex gasped as they were spotted and pressed the close button about a hundred times while someone pressed the ground floor button. As the elevator started it's downward track, Alex ran a hand through his hair again.

"Come on, come on!" He whispered under his breath.

"That's your other tell isn't it?" Macey asked.

"Hmm?" Alex asked distractedly.

"When you're stressed. You said you have two main tells. Running your hand through your hair is the other one isn't it?" Alex glanced at his hand blankly for a minute. Then blinked.

"Oh. . . Yeah," he said. "I sometimes don't even realize I'm doing it." The door dinged open and Alex ushered everyone out. "Go go go!" He practically screamed. "If something happens to you guys Cammie's mom will kill me!" The guard stopped them.

"Just where do you think you're going?" He asked.

"We're going out to get stuff for our aunt sir," Alex replied politely. The guard nodded.

"Yeah. . . Right!" He said sarcastically. Alex was a little confused by the guard's sudden animosity toward the group. Then he saw a silver scorpion on the man's shoulder that he hadn't noticed before. He swore

"Shit!" Suddenly, there were multiple men surrounding the small group and a rag was placed over Alex's face. It instantly made him feel dizzy and he realized it must have chloroform on it or something of the like. Cammie would say later that it was the same feeling as when the Circle had tried to kidnap her. All of the members of the group tried to fight back but it was useless and their struggles got weaker and weaker. Alex's vision soon faded to black but the rag was removed too soon. It was too late though. His judgment was too impaired. If his head had been clearer, he might have just lied still so as to figure out more of what was going to happen to the captives and possibly escape. Instead, the one fuzzy thought in his head was, _"Is Cammie okay?"_ Instead of lying still as he should have, he lifted his head to find her, and one of the men noticed. The cloth was put back over is nose and mouth and his vision faded again, along with all of his thoughts.

 **A/N: Hey guys. Sorry I kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a little bit. I don't really have a good excuse to give you either (please don't kill me!). The sad part is that I'm on vacation all of next week and there won't be any internet connection so I won't be able to update then either. For those of you who are wondering, no I have not given up on Never Play Dead in favor of this story, I just kinda hit a wall with it that I'm trying to work through. I'll have the next chapter of that one up for you as soon as I can. In the mean time, I'm going to post a few chapters of this one. Thanks to everyone who has supported me thus far and who has continued to read up to this point. This is the part where I beg you to read and review! Please. It means a lot to me to hear from you guys.**

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **SkaterGirl- Thanks so much for your review. I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully I didn't let you down with this chapter. Please keep reviewing! I'd love to hear from you again**


	6. The Belly of the Beast

**Chapter 6: The Belly of the Beast**

Cammie slowly became aware of cold, hard concrete beneath her and she struggled to remember where she was or why she would fall asleep on the ground. Her thoughts were jumbled, her mind clouded. She struggled to open her eyes. Her limbs felt like fifty-pound weights. She sat up slowly, still feeling dizzy and disoriented. Her vision was out of focus but slowly cleared. Next to her, Bex groaned and sat up too, going through the same process. Liz and Macey were already semi-awake and on their feet, looking around the room confusedly. Cammie's eyes widened as she realized where they were. They were in the belly of the beast. Scorpia had them!

"Where's Alex?" Cammie slurred. Macey pointed to a corner of the room where Alex was lying in a heap, not moving.

"Cammie, we can't find an escape route," Liz informed, her eyes wide and fearful. Cammie didn't reply. Her head hurt and she was scared. What was Scorpia planning for them?

"Cammie?" Macey asked. Cammie looked up at her. "Cammie, what do we do?" Her voice was calm and her gaze was completely trusting. Cammie glanced down at her hands to find them shaking violently.

"I. . . I don't know what to do," she admitted. She felt overwhelmed. The girls were all looking to her for guidance and she didn't know what to do. Alex though, Alex would know. Mr. Solomon had mentioned that he'd looked like he'd woken up in an interrogation room before. She moved over to him

 _"Alex, wake up. Alex!"_ The voice was far away and dulled, like it was coming from underwater. Alex struggled to make it out.

 _"Alex, wake up! We need your help! Come on Alex!"_ Someone was shaking him. Slowly he became aware of concrete underneath him. He groaned, struggling to open his eyes. Why was this so hard? His thoughts had yet to connect. The hands touching him made him feel uncomfortable. He tried to push them away but they were insistent. Finally, he managed to get his eyes open. His vision was blurry at first, and he was having trouble identifying what was around him. There was a woman leaning over him and he focused on her. Slowly, her image became less blurred.

"Cammie?" Alex slurred. "Wa's goin' on?" He blinked a couple times, trying to focus his mind. "Did we do it?" Cammie nodded, a worried look on her face. Alex smiled and reached up, trying to smooth out the worried wrinkles on her forehead with his hand. "Then why do you look so worried?" He dropped his hand and glanced around the room, his thoughts becoming clearer by the minute, along with his speech. What he saw was a small concrete room with him, Cammie, and the other three girls. Everyone was staring at him.

"Oh, I see," he said, suddenly serious. He sat up painfully. He could already feel a headache pounding just behind his eyes. "Escape routes?" He asked. Liz shook her head. "Right, of course not. We tried the door right?" He got a nod for the affirmative. He looked at their assets. They were nonexistent. Scorpia had of course, taken all of his gadgets. "Well this sucks," he muttered. "Only one thing to do then, I guess."

"What?" Cammie asked. Alex gave her a grave look.

"Wait."

They didn't have to wait long. Less than five minutes later, the door burst open and two burly men with AK-47s came in, shouting in Russian for them to get to the back wall. A smaller man followed. He was slender and short with a balding head. He had glasses that slid down his nose and when he pushed them back up it made his eyes look the size of dinner plates.

"Sorry for the rudeness of my men," he apologized in almost perfect English, not looking sorry at all. "They get excited by the prospect of guests."

"I'm sure," Alex murmured. Then, a little louder, "Guests? Really? Call me crazy but I don't think most people lock their guests in a small concrete room." The man smiled dangerously.

"Ah, the famous Alex Rider. I've heard a lot about you since taking a job with Scopria. Impressive, very impressive. However, I'm a little disappointed that you brought little girls as back-up."

"Hey!" Bex yelled. "I'll show you back-up you jackass!" She started toward him but Alex grabbed her wrist and pulled her back behind him. She still looked pissed but she at least had the foresight not to advance on him again.

"Very wise Alex. Wouldn't want your troop of teenage girls to get hurt now would we."

"I'm sorry," Alex said cockily. "You seem to have me at a slight disadvantage. You know my name but I don't know yours." The man nodded.

"Very well. My name is Nickoli Klokov. I will be the one responsible for breaking you and eventually killing you. Shall we start? Come with me." Klokov turned away, heading for the door but Alex didn't follow.

"How about not," he goaded. "I don't particularly feel like torture today. But since we're guests, how about a couple smoothies and some ice cream?"

"Alex, should you really be egging them on?" Cammie murmured into his ear.

"No whispering!" One of the burly guard shouted, swinging his fist at her. Alex caught it in midair and twisted, easily flipping the guard onto his back.

"Don't touch her!" He growled. "Don't touch any of them!" In his controlled fury, he had his sole focus on the guard at his feet and never saw the second swing his weapon. The gun connected with the side of Alex's head with unbelievable force. Alex grunted, barely managing to avoid falling on the first guard who rolled and scrambled up. Alex saw black at the edges of his vision and he struggled onto his hands and knees, dizzy. The first guard wasted no time in a well-placed kick with steel-toed shoes to his ribs as revenge and Alex cried out as he heard one crack. His body was flipped over with the force of it and the spots at the edge of his vision got worse as Alex gasped for the breath the kick had knocked out of him.

"Alex!" Cammie exclaimed. He glanced up to find her worried eyes on him and Macey started towards the guards. Before she had even taken two steps, Alex held his hand out in the universal sign for stop since he couldn't be expected to say it. Liz grabbed Macey's hand and pulled her gently back. Alex rolled over on his hands and knees again. This time, the two guards let him struggle to his feet and he swayed there, light-headed and dizzy. He was dimly aware of blood flowing in rivers down the side of his head but the adrenaline had kicked in by now and slowed the pain's effect, though for how much longer he couldn't say.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, come along Alex," Klokov said. He motioned to the guards who grabbed hold of either side of Alex and forced him out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

"What do we do now?" Liz asked.

"Wait," Cammie replied, not taking her eyes off the door.

 **A/N: As promised, here is the next chapter. Sorry it's so short. Anyway, the action is starting to ramp up! Poor Alex though. Please read and review. Even if you have constructive criticism, I want you to review. I just want to hear from you all. That's what makes me a better writer!**

 **Wolf out! ;)**


	7. Interrogation

**Chapter 7: Interrogation**

Alex was ushered out into the hallway and the door was slammed behind him, effectively cutting him off from the girls. Then, he was roughly shoved down the hall and into another room. Looking around, Alex saw a lone chair and dried blood stains covering the floor and the walls. Alex whistled lowly.

"Wow, looks like you guys need to get a new cleaning lady," he commented, smirking. For all his troubles he got no reaction other than to be shoved into the chair. "I didn't really want to sit down but thanks anyways guys," he mentioned cheerily, standing up. One of the guards just shoved him down again and held him there while the other tied him too it. They then secured him with heavy chains. Alex sighed, knowing it was no use fighting back.

The room was quiet for a moment before he spoke up again, breaking the silence. "So, I'm a little offended that I only warrant two guards. You still underestimate me that much huh?" He goaded. "I mean come on. I even brought backup to help this time. Did you know that those girls in there are trained? I actually did you a favor by holding them back!" The guard punched him in the face to shut him up and Alex grunted as his head snapped sideways. "Hey now. Don't you think that was a little uncalled for? We use our words here, not our fists," Alex mocked, imitating a kindergarten teacher. He received another hard punch for his troubles. Alex slowly exhaled, trying to control his breathing. He could taste the blood from a split lip. _Great,_ He thought. _I'm already bleeding_.

"Okay Alex. This is going to be fun," Klokov said. He walked behind the boy but Alex stubbornly faced forward, resisting the urge to try to see over his shoulder at what the older man was doing. There was the clatter of metal against metal and Klokov once again entered his view. In his hand, the Russian held a long, elegant looking knife. Alex swallowed nervously, knowing full well what the man intended to use it for.

As the man started to make the first incision, Alex bit his lip, determined not to make a sound. His eyes teared up against his will and he blinked them rapidly. Klokov finished the cut. It had started a little above the teen's wrist and ended at the crook in his elbow. He did the same on the other side, all the while not taking his eyes off of Alex, who didn't make a sound. Klokov smiled.

"Very good Alex," the man said, "but I wonder how much longer you can keep that up." Alex didn't bother answering with a witty comment. His arms stung and he could feel the rivers of blood, flowing down them, dripping onto the floor. He did send a glare towards Klokov though. The man's smile grew.

Klokov tossed the knife into the air, flipping it. Gripping the handle with the blade now pointing down, he plunged it into Alex's thigh. The first scream was torn out of Alex. He cut if off as soon as he could, knowing that the girls likely heard it anyway. Klokov rotated the knife slightly though it was still in the meaty part of Alex's thigh. Alex whimpered but managed not to scream.

"What do you want from me?" Alex asked softly, gritting his teeth against the pain and trying to control his breathing.

"Simple," his captor answered. "Your slow and painful death at my hands."

AR_GA_AR_GA_AR_GA

Back in the cell, a scream pierced the silence and all four girls sat up from their slumped positions against the walls. They glanced at each other fearfully as it was choked off. Nobody spoke, waiting to hear what was going to happen next. There was another scream a few minutes later. This one wasn't choked off quite as soon.

"Is that..." Macy trailed off.

"Oh god! Alex!" Cammie whispered, looking sick.

"When they come back in here I'll kill 'em!" Bex raged.

"Bex they'll just do the same to you. We're not much good to Alex if we're all beat up too. We gotta get him outta here," Liz reasoned. The conversation stopped as another loud scream was heard.

AR_GA_AR_GA_AR_GA

Alex was still tied to the chair three hours later. His head hung low and his mess of dirty blond hair was streaked with blood. There were now not only cuts on his arms but all over his face too. There was a particularly nasty new gash that ran across his chest, parallel to his collarbone, which was now broken. Not only was there the deep stab wound in his thigh, but there was also one through his hand and two more on his torso. Alex felt weak from loss of blood but Klokov didn't seem to be stopping.

"Come now Alex!" He jeered, putting a finger under Alex's chin and raising it so he could look into the boy's eyes. "Where's that famous wit?" Alex wrenched his chin away from the man and bit as hard as he could down on the finger. The older man yelled, tearing his hand away from the malicious teen. Alex's eyes glinted dangerously.

"You little..." Klokov finished his sentence by slamming his fist into Alex's face. Alex felt the bones in his nose shatter and splay. He cried out, his head whipping to the side. He saw blackness at the edge of his vision and almost breathed a sigh of relief. If he passed out he wouldn't have to endure this any longer. Klokov, seeing that the boy was on the brink of unconsciousness, snapped his fingers and, as had been happening for the past hour and a half or so, a bucket of cold water was dumped on Alex's head, startling him back into full wakefulness. Klokov grabbed his favorite knife again and approached Alex.

Alex refused to give Klokov the satisfaction of hearing him beg. He couldn't help but start whimpering though, as Klokov pressed the knife slowly into his side. The cut was still too shallow to make him scream but Klokov soon fixed that. Alex screamed as the knife entered his body. A rose colored stain blossomed on his already blood-soaked shirt. Blackness entered Alex's vision and he welcomed it. Cold water was dumped over his head but it was too late. He was too far gone.

Alex was vaguely aware of the two guards untying him. As the ropes released his body, he slumped forward in the chair. The two guards roughly grabbed him and dragged him between them but Alex no longer cared.

Footsteps were heard walking down the hall slowly. The screaming had finally stopped though what that could mean, Cammie couldn't guess. The door to the cell was flung open and the guards yelled for them to move to the back wall. Worried about Alex, they obliged. The teen was roughly thrown into the room, weakly catching himself against the nearest wall, breathing hard, as the door was slammed shut behind him. His eyes were glazed over and he leaned heavily against the wall, blinking rapidly as if he was trying to clear his vision.

"Alex?" Cammie asked softly. His head snapped up in alarm like he forgot he wasn't alone but he quickly relaxed when he realized it was just Cammie. "Are you okay?" She asked. He nodded slowly.

"Yeah," he whispered numbly, his voice hoarse from screaming. "Yeah I'm fine." He managed two shaky steps towards the girls before his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

"Oh my god!" Liz cried, alarmed. Cammie had already rushed forward to catch him and she carefully lowered him to the ground, placing his head in her lap so it wasn't on the hard concrete.

"Bex," Cammie called. Though they all knew first aid, Bex was the best at it since she got into many more fights due to her temper. She didn't need to say anything. The moment Alex had passed out Bex had begun visually assessing him. Once Cammie had lowered him to the floor, she had jumped in to take a closer look. She ripped his now tattered, blood-soaked shirt down the middle, carefully pulling it off to get a better idea of what was wrong. What they saw inspired a collective gasp. Along with his enormous amount of old scars, which nobody but Cammie had seen, he now had a multitude of new wounds everywhere. The most obvious one was the stab wound on his thigh as it was the deepest and still weeping.

"I think he passed out from loss of blood," Bex said. She began gently feeling for unseen injuries. "Other than his obviously broken nose, he has a broken rib," she informed the others. "It must've happened when that guard kicked him." She kept feeling for broken bones. When she ran her hands over his collar bone, applying slight pressure, his eyes started to flutter and he whimpered, trying to push her hand away. She obliged and his expression cleared as he sunk deeper into unconsciousness. Cammie gave Bex a confused look.

"I didn't get a great read because he pushed my hand away but I think his collarbone is broken," she explained. Liz looked white and Macey looked sick.

"What are we supposed to do?" Macey asked. "Just sit around and hope it heals?" Cammie and Bex both shrugged.

"I don't think there's anything we can do," Cammie said, absently playing with Alex's hair. He looked more peaceful and less guarded than she had ever seen him before.

 **A/N: Hey guys. I know I've been a little unreliable as of late and I'm sorry. I had a lot going on between work and getting stuff for my freshman year of college. I hope you'll forgive me. To make it up to you I'm going to try to post the next chapter of this story tomorrow sometime. Yes, for those of you that are wondering, I am still writing Never Play Dead. I am still working on the next chapter. Again, I haven't had a lot of time as of late but hopefully that'll change soon.**

 **Guest Reviews: SkaterGirl- I'm sorry I'm not updating very consistently anymore. I'm trying to change that particular bad habit. I'm glad you like it though. Please keep reviewing. I love hearing your opinions.**

 **Thank you to all the wonderful people who are following/have favorited this story. It means so much to me that you guys like it. Everyone please read and review. I love hearing how I'm doing.**

 **-Wolf out!**


	8. Torture

**Chapter 8: Torture**

Alex slowly crawled his way out of unconsciousness. The first thing he became aware of was someone playing with his hair. He shrugged it off. It must be Jack. Maybe he was sick or something. She did that sometimes when he had the flu. For now he was content to just lie there. Then he became aware of a hard floor underneath him and an incredible amount of pain throughout his body. He felt his breathing hitch has a wave of it flooded his system, waking him up in earnest. He felt the fingers that were running through his hair freeze and with a jolt he realized it couldn't be Jack. He had gotten Jack killed. Without warning he lashed out but the person shifted just in time and he rolled away, opening his eyes and bolting to his feet, swearing under his breath at the pain the movement caused.

Cammie froze when she felt Alex's breathing hitch, unsure of what to do or in what condition he would fully awaken. She felt his muscles tense and all but predicted what was coming, leaning back just in time to avoid a fist to the face. Alex rolled away from her, eyes snapping open. The other three girls moved out of his way to avoid getting the same treatment. He was on his feet and in fighting position before any of them had even seen him get up. Alex looked around wildly for a second, fist clenched, muttering swear words under his breath and in obvious pain. Then, he seemed to come back to himself I with a blink. He looked around again, more slowly this time, allowing his muscles to slowly relax.

The pain hit him in earnest as the short burst adrenaline drained out and he leaned against a wall, desperately trying to keep his expression clear. Failing at that, he at least suppressed a gasp.

"Alex, you should sit down," Cammie suggested.

"I'm fine," he assured her, nevertheless walking over and sinking down next to her, using the wall to help. She noticed he had a heavy limp and shot a dark look at Bex, who looked back at her just as solemnly.

"What happened?" Macey asked. Alex chuckled, attempting to smile up at her though from the look on her face it was more of a grimace.

"Don't beat around the bush do you?" He asked, avoiding the question. She didn't let it go so easily.

"We heard screams," she informed him. He visibly winced.

"We had ice cream and candy and talked about butterflies and rainbows," he told her sarcastically. Cammie shot him a glare.

"What!" He exclaimed. "Okay, I'm sorry. Being in captivity tends to bring out my sarcastic side more than usual."

"So you _have_ been kidnapped before," Liz said. It wasn't a question but he answered anyway.

"Yeah, on every one of my first nine missions and a few of the ones after that. I don't have a very good track record but I thought I could at least get you guys out before any of this happened and I didn't want to worry you." Alex ran his hand though his hair, hitting more than one snag.

"This is so messed up!" He exclaimed, releasing a frustrated sigh. Cammie gently pulled him to her, and he once again laid his head on her lap. She gently massaged his temples and he relaxed into her, closing his eyes.

"Jack used to do that," he murmured. She paused for half a second before continuing.

"Really? What was she like?"

"Yeah, she used to massage my temples or play with my hair when I was sick with the flu or something. You guys would've loved her. Ben always said she was the sassiest person he ever met. A regular red-head and man was she feisty," he seemed to get lost in his thoughts but Cammie brought him back.

"And what's Ben like? He's from K-unit right?"

"Yeah. When I first went to Brecon Becons, right before my first mission I was put with an SAS unit. They were called K-unit. Eagle is the explosives expert, Snake, the medic, and Wolf is the unit leader. He was an arse at first. Then there was Ben. His code name was Fox but I've since found out his real name and gone on a couple of missions with him when he transferred to MI6. He transferred back not long ago but we've kept in touch, along with the other guys. Ben's really the only one whose real name we use. I can barely remember the names of the other guys."

"What was your code name?" Liz asked. Alex smiled wryly.

"Cub. It was a joke because I was the youngest and it just stuck. Wolf called me double-o-nothing for a while though. Ben's great. He's like a really good friend and a father figure at the same time. He always watches my back and makes sure I'm taking care of myself but at the same time will play poker with me and let me get him and the other guys drunk. Let's just say Wolf doesn't exactly go for that. He's kind of a father figure now too. They're my family."

Footsteps resonated down the hall and Alex sat up painfully in anticipation. Sure enough, the door was thrown open again and the guards rushed in, yelling in Russian.

"Get up!" One of the guards screamed at Alex. When Alex didn't, he pointed his gun at the closest girl. It just happened to be Liz. "Get up or we'll shoot one of the girls!"

"Yeah, see, that might be all well and good for you to say but it's more difficult to do with what you guys did to my leg," Alex answered cheekily. Ignoring him, the two wrenched him to his feet.

"Oh, well okay. Sure. Make it look easy," he said sarcastically with a wince. They pushed him forward and he stumbled, barely managing to catch himself. He tried to ignore the pain that shot up his leg.

Alex was pushed roughly down the hall again and he sank into the chair with relief this time, anything to get off his leg. Looking around, he noticed a few new blood stains that he realized must've been from earlier.

"So, not changing your cleaning lady then?" He asked the guards. "That's unfortunate. I guess nobody wanted to clean up this mess all the time." Like last time, the guards completely ignored him, only paying attention enough to tie him up, completing the look with chains again.

"Silent treatment? Again guys? Really?" One of the guards glanced at him and Alex pretended to be surprised.

"A glance! Wow! I got a glance!" The other guards glared at the first and punched Alex's leg to make him shut up. Alex choked back a scream, clenching his jaw against the pain.

"That wasn't very nice," Alex scolded when he had recovered from the blow. Klokov entered the room and the two guards left in a hurry.

"So, Alex, what should we start with today?"

* * *

Back in the cell, the girls could already hear the screaming. Macey looked sick and Cammie was crying silently.

"What do you think they want?" Liz asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"Nothing," Bex answered hauntedly. "Scorpia has had a price on his head since he was fourteen. They just want him to suffer before they kill him and once they kill him, they'll kill us. We're just here so he behaves." They lapsed back into silence again, listening to the screams coming from down the hall. Eventually, they stopped but Alex didn't return. They cast worried glances around but they were helpless to do anything.

* * *

Alex gasped, coughing as he came too on the cold stone floor. He was dripping wet and it took him a minute to remember what had happened. Klokov had decided that drowning him would be fun. He had submerged Alex's head underwater and held it there. Alex looked around weakly. His head hurt from lack of oxygen and his lungs burned from trying to breathe. Klokov grabbed Alex by the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground.

"Enjoy your dip?" He sneered.

"Well, I prefer doing laps and, you know, not drowning, but other than that," Alex rasped, clinging to his sarcasm.

"Go get one of the girls," Klokov ordered one of the guards as they retied Alex to the chair.

"Why?" Alex asked, suddenly alert. "Surely we don't need to drag them in this business. This is between us." Klokov smirked.

"It wasn't I who dragged them into it Alex. It was you," he said. Alex felt a coldness sweep over him. Whatever the Russian had in mind, it couldn't be good. Too soon, he heard two pairs of footsteps just down the hall, then at the door. The door was pushed open and a dirty blonde was shoved through it, stumbling and caught by the other guard. Alex didn't like the way he was looking at her.

"Alex?" Cammie asked timidly, putting on as brave a face as she could muster.

"Cammie!" Alex exclaimed. Out of the four girls the man could have chosen from, why Cammie? Cammie looked around.

"Ugg! You guys need a new cleaning lady!" She exclaimed. Alex chuckled and the guards shot each other dark looks.

"Come here my dear," Klokov cooed, holding his hand out. Cammie shook her head, obviously knowing better but the guard holding her shoved her toward him and she stumbled into him. "I have a special task for you," the man said, gripping her wrist tightly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it won't be good so why don't I just say no right now," she tried. The Russian shook his head.

"Not an option. You're going to do this and if you refuse, you'll end up like Alex, bloody and broken." Alex glared at Klokov.

"Hey! I'm right here!" He exclaimed. "Rude!" He did it more for Cammie than anything. To tell the truth, he did feel broken, had for a long time, since way before this mission.

"See, Alex's chair is hooked up to an electric current. It isn't on currently, but that will soon change," the man continued, completely ignoring Alex.

"And you want me to watch?" Cammie asked, horrified. Klokov shook his head.

"No, no. Of course not," he said. "I want you to turn it on."

"No. Absolutely not. I won't," Cammie replied automatically. Klokov smiled.

"Oh but you will. Unless of course, you want to be tortured."

"You sick son of a bitch!" Cammie exclaimed, tears already running down her face. The man just smiled.

"You have a choice. Alex will hurt either way. Whether or not you do is your decision," Klokov reasoned. Cammie glanced to Alex. His face was set in resignation.

"Do as he says Cammie," Alex said quietly. Cammie shook her head.

"No! I can't!" She cried. "Alex, I can't."

"Do it!" Alex ordered forcefully.

"No! I don't want to hurt you!"

"And I can't see you get hurt. Do as he says!" Alex countered. Then, in a softer voice, "I'll be fine. Please. Just do it."

"Time to decide," Klokov cut in. He pressed a remote in her hands and she accepted it, albeit reluctantly, hesitating over the button. She couldn't. She wouldn't. Klokov didn't give her a choice. He pressed her thumb down with his. Alex screamed, eyes watering, muscles straining against his bonds. The Russian grinned.

Cammie struggled to wiggle her finger out from under his. After what felt like decades, he relented. Cammie rushed to Alex, who was breathing hard, obviously trying for her sake not to cry.

"Alex!" Cammie sobbed, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck. Alex rested his chin on her shoulder wearily. "Alex I can't! I can't do it again. Please don't ask me to do it again."

"Shh," Alex soothed. "K-unit is on their way. I called them," he whispered into her ear, too low for anyone else to hear. "Before we left that morning I called them. Just do what he says for now. They'll get you out."

"You make it sound like you aren't coming," she choked back softly. Alex shook his head.

"Just do what he says for now," he repeated. Klokov pulled her away from him, annoyed.

"Again!" He demanded. Cammie shook her head.

"I can't," she cried. "Please, I can't." Klokov smiled.

"You will," he told her. "And this time, we're going to turn it up." He turned a knob on the remote, pushing it at her again.

"Cammie, do as he says," Alex whispered, resigned to his fate.

"Listen to your boyfriend," Klokov told her, shoving the remote in her hand. He again pushed her thumb down for her, giving her no choice. Alex screamed.

All Alex could feel was a blinding pain that obliterated everything. He could feel his body tense up with it, his muscles straining at his bonds. He could think of nothing else but the white-hot electricity coursing through him. His vision was instantly blurry with tears he couldn't quite hold back and he squeezed his eyes shut against the searing pain. At some point, he blacked out.

 **A/N: Hey everyone! So, I didn't quite get to it yesterday but here is the next chapter! Things are really starting to heat up. I wonder what's going to happen next. Thanks to those of you who have made it this far. Please read and review. I really enjoy the feedback. I promise that I'll reply to you guys via PM. If you're a guest, you can still review. I'll just reply to you on the next chapter.**


	9. Shot

**Chapter 9: Shot**

Alex slowly dug his way out of unconsciousness. Some instinct told him not to make a sound. The first thing he realized was that he was untied, slumped against the chair's back with his head at an uncomfortable angle. He didn't move though. Something told him to stay still. He could hear sounds of a struggle.

"Well catch her you idiots! Why the hell did you let her get away from you? She's a teenage girl goddamn it!" A man's voice boomed. There was a high-pitched scream of pain.

"Let me go! I'm not leaving without him!" A female voice shouted. Suddenly, Alex's brain made the connection. The guards must have realized he fell unconscious and untied him, only to have Cammie get away from them. He groaned internally, why was she causing trouble for herself! Didn't she know to just play along? He had told her K-unit was on the way! There was a whimper and a gasp and Alex jumped into action without thinking. He was on his feet in an instant, ignoring the dizziness of standing too quickly.

"Get away from her!" He yelled, jumping one of the guards and taking him out with relative ease. Cammie looked somewhat astonished that he was awake, or even alive for that matter. Alex took down the other guard as he froze with shock too. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and everyone paused. Alex slowly looked down to see a fresh stain of blood blossoming over his chest. He make a noise somewhere between a choke and a chuckle and fell backwards, hitting the floor with an audible thump.

"Alex!" Cammie screamed. "Oh my god!"

"See what you've done girl?" Klokov shouted. "I've had to rush my lovely painful ending! You've doomed yourself and your friends as well. Without the boy, you're useless to me." Cammie launched herself at the Russian, screeching in grief and anger. He easily batted her out of the way and she landed next to Alex. Instead of getting up and attacking again, she crawled next to him.

"Alex," she whispered, scared that there wouldn't be an answer. There was a soft groan in reply. She looked back up, accusingly, to Klokov only to find that he already had his gun pointed at her.

"Might as well dispose you now," he sneered, cocking the gun. Cammie closed her eyes, resigned to her fate. A gunshot went off and Cammie waited for the pain, for the bright light for anything. Nothing happened.

Cammie opened her eyes to see the Russian on the floor with a bullet wound through his head. There was blood, so much blood, but not all of it was Klokov's. Alex's blood also soaked the floor. Four men burst into the room but Cammie didn't pay any attention to them. She only had eyes for Alex.

"Alex!" Cammie exclaimed, shaking his shoulder. His eyes were shut and his breathing was hitched. "Alex please, open your eyes. If you can hear me open your eyes!" Alex obeyed, grimacing in pain. Cammie could feel tears streaming down her face. The men had frozen, taking in the scene before them. Cammie didn't know who they were and she didn't care. She looked at the wound, panic making her thoughts scattered and unsure. Cammie tried to smile and be brave for him. It came out as a grimace.

"It's not even that bad okay. It's not even that bad." She said it like she was trying to convince herself more than him. She felt strong arms around her, pulling her away from Alex. She struggled but the arms were persistent, dragging her away from him.

"Alex!" She exclaimed. "Let me go! Please! Let me go!" She screamed.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. We're here to help," a man's voice soothed in her ear. Cammie wasn't listening. Her only thought was to get back to Alex. She swung her elbow up and heard a satisfying crunch as she broke the man's nose.

"Ouch! Son of a. . . Will you quit it! We're trying to help!" The man yelled. The arms around her tightened, pinning her arms to her side.

"Snake!" The man called.

"On it!" A dark haired man with a slight Scottish accent responded, moving to Alex. He started assessing the wound and murmuring to Alex.

"Stop! Don't hurt him! Please!" Cammie cried. "Alex!" The boy stirred a little, sensing her distress but the Scottish man laid a hand on him, murmuring comfortingly and he stopped.

"Fox, Eagle, go get the other girls," the man holding Cammie commanded through gritted teeth. One of the men, a blonde haired, blue-eyed man, moved to go down the hall. The other stood frozen.

"Fox!" The man repeated exasperatedly. "Go with Eagle!" Still, the last man stood frozen, staring horrified at the scene unfolding.

"GODDAMN IT BEN!" The man holding Cammie roared. "GO HELP EAGLE!" As if on cue, a shout of surprise and pain could be heard, shortly followed by a bout of swearing. This seemed to snap the other man out of his trance and he ran down the hall after his friend. Cammie stopped struggling. Ben? Where had she heard that name before? Suddenly, it clicked.

"You guys are K-unit?" She asked weakly.

"Finally!" The man behind her said, breathing a sigh of relief and loosening his hold on her now that she wasn't struggling. Bex, Macey and Liz walked into the room then, followed by Ben and Eagle. The man let her go and Cammie ran to her friends, embracing them all and crying.

"Cammie, we heard gun shots. What. . ." Bex trailed off as she saw Alex on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood with Snake leaning over him, trying his best to stop the bleeding. "Oh no!" She whispered.

"Wolf!" Barked the man leaning over Alex, Snake. Cammie vaguely remembered Alex telling them that Snake was the team's medic, Wolf being the unit's leader. Wolf's head snapped from watching the girls to Snake.

"Wolf, we gotta get him out of here," Snake warned, schooling his expression to look as neutral as possible. "He needs to be medevaced out of here stat. There's a more than likely chance he could bleed out, especially given that he lost so much blood already."

"Cammie?" Alex murmured.

"It's okay Alex!" Cammie responded, trying to keep the watery tone out of her voice. "I'm okay and you're gonna be." Alex's breathing hitched as a wave of pain crashed over him and he grimaced.

"Alex, I'm going to give you some morphine for the pain okay?" Snake said, a little louder than he had to. Wolf recognized it as a subtle sign of stress. Alex shook his head violently.

"No," he said, forcefully. "'M fine!" He slurred.

"You don't have a choice," Snake informed him. "I'm only gonna give you enough to take the edge off the pain and maybe make you a little loopy."

"No Snake! Please!" Alex begged, trying to push the older man's hand away. Cammie walked over and kneeled on the other side of Alex. Snake paused, unsure what she was going to do. Cammie grabbed Alex's hand and squeezed it gently.

"It's okay Alex," she reassured him softly. "Tell me about Jack. What was she like again?" Alex squeezed her hand back weakly. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Snake injected the light sedative into Alex's arm. Alex's face showed betrayal but he seemed to relax a little. He closed his eyes against the pain again.

"Please don't hate me," Cammie whispered. Wolf led her away gently so they could move Alex and she turned into him, arms wrapping around him as she cried into his chest. Wolf looked unsure what to do for a minute before he wrapped his arms around her too. Bex, Liz, and Macey just looked scared.

"Eagle!" Snake barked. The man quickly moved to Alex and helped Snake lift him.

"We have a bird waiting outside for us," Ben informed the girls.

"Where even are we?" Macey asked, glancing at Cammie who was still curled up in Wolf's arms.

"Arizona. We're in the desert in the middle of nowhere. Guess they figured even if you did escape, it's not like you were going to get far. It's a twenty minute 'copter ride to the nearest hospital, or at least the nearest one with a helipad." Ben replied. The girls followed him out the door. Cammie jogged a few steps to catch up with her friends.

The rest of the walk to the helicopter was silent. Liz moved to Cammie's side and held her hand reassuringly. Ben and Wolf got in first. Then, Snake and Eagle gingerly handed Alex to the two other SAS men. Alex grimaced at the hand off but didn't make a single sound of protest. Next, the girls got in and finally, the two remaining SAS soldiers. Ben sat next to Alex, monitoring him, while Snake moved on to the girls.

"Alright you lot," he started. "If you have any injuries at all, fess up or I'll make it a lot worse for you later on." The girls all glanced at each other.

"I would do as he says," Wolf chimed. Then, under his breath, "Fucking mother hen is what he is." All the girls shook their heads no to injuries but Snake assessed them anyway. Finally, he got to Cammie.

"You're Camroon right?" He asked gently. Cammie nodded. "Did you know you're bleeding?" Cammie stared at him blankly. She hadn't spoken a word since Alex was administered morphine. Snake moved to touch her cheek and Cammie jerked away on instinct. The Scott held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm not going to hurt you Cammie," he said gently. "I want to help. You have a cut on your cheek. Did the Russian hit you?" Cammie nodded emptily, eyes filling with tears again.

"I'm sorry!" She apologized. Snake shook his head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. Alex does that too. It's just instincts. He would describe it as a side effect of what you guys have been through," Snake assured, not realizing that that wasn't what she was apologizing for. He ran his thumb lightly over the wound, inspecting it. Cammie hissed in pain but didn't move. "You'll be fine. It just needs to be disinfected," the Scott informed. He grabbed a disinfectant wipe and carefully dabbed the wound. When he was done, they both walked over to Alex and Ben. Alex was staring at the ceiling emptily. Cammie slipped her hand into his and he squeezed it weakly.

"Hey Snake?" Alex asked softly.

"Yeah Cub?" The man replied.

"Am I gonna die?" He asked.

"Don't talk like that!" Snake answered harshly. "I'm not going to let you die, Wolf's not going to let you die, Ben's especially not going to let you die, Eagle. . ." He paused. "Well I think we know Eagle's going to kill us all some day."

"Hey! I heard that!" Eagle yelled back. Snake just rolled his eyes. Alex chuckled, winced, and stopped. There was what felt like an endless silence before Alex broke it again.

"Ben?"

"Yeah Al?"

"Do you think I'll see Jack again?"

"Alex stop it!" Ben commanded. "Don't you dare talk like that! You're not dying!"

"It's okay Ben," Alex said, tears welling up but not quite falling. "It's okay. I don't mind. At least I'll get to see her again right? Maybe I'll get to see Jack again. Dying can't be that bad if she's waiting for me." He said it with a watery half smile that disappeared as quick as it came.

"Oh Alex," Cammie breathed. "Please don't die. You can't die. I need you. Everyone in this helicopter needs you." Alex looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. He squeezed her hand again to make her pay attention.

"Remember the secret I told you?" He asked her. She nodded, her vision blurring as she tried to look at him through her tears. "I take it all back," he said, surprising her. "I don't want to die." Finally, the tears that had been building up fell. "This is so damn unfair! What did I do to deserve this life, this death?" K-unit was looking at Cammie in awe. Wolf snapped everyone out of it.

"Alex! I swear to god if you keep talking like this I'll kill you myself! You aren't dying! We aren't going to let you!" He yelled. "Don't make me sick Eagle on you! I'll do it! I'll even arm him with sugar!" The man threatened lowly. Alex half smiled again, resting his head on Ben's leg. He closed his eyes.

"Cub?" Snake asked. "You okay?"

"I just got shot!" Alex murmured indignantly. Snake sighed.

"You know that's not what I meant. Open your eyes." Alex obeyed but his eyes slid shut a few moments later. Cammie glanced to Snake worriedly. The man was frowning but when he noticed she was looking he carefully schooled his expression into one of neutrality.

"Cub!" Snake barked, tapping Alex on the arm. "Eyes." Alex obeyed again but his eyes stayed open even more briefly this time. "Alex talk to me," Snake commanded. "What's going on?"

"Just. . . Really tired," Alex sighed without opening his eyes.

"You can't fall asleep now," Snake said. "You have to stay awake until we get to the hospital at least." Alex opened his eyes again and squinted at the ceiling.

"Hey Snake?" Alex asked drowsily. "Is the ceiling supposed to be spinning?" Snake glanced at Wolf who immediately jumped up and went to talk to the pilot.

"Status report," Wolf barked at the man. "How far away are we?"

"Five minutes," the man shouted back. Wolf nodded.

"Snake, we've got five minutes," Wolf relayed. Snake nodded. He checked Alex's temperature. Alex's eyes had slid shut again.

"Cammie, try to keep him awake. It's the loss of blood that's doing this to him and he has a much higher chance of dying if he falls asleep," Snake ordered.

"Alex, wake up," Cammie called softly, gently shaking his shoulder. Alex's eyes fluttered but he didn't open them. "Alex please," Cammie called, a little louder. Alex groaned but still didn't open his eyes.

"You're going to have to be rougher than that," Ben said. He slapped Alex's cheek and his eyes sprang open. "Keep your damn eyes open," Ben commanded. Cammie squeezed Alex's hand uncomfortably tight, hoping it would help. Alex's eyes started to close.

"Alex! I swear to god!" Ben shouted. "Don't you dare shut your eyes again. Stay with me okay?" Tears were welling up in Ben's eyes. So far he had refrained from crying but the stress was starting to take its toll. Alex nodded but his eyes slid shut and Ben slapped Alex's cheek again. Alex groaned, eyes fluttering but he couldn't get them open.

"Two minutes!" Wolf called.

"Two minutes Alex. Two minutes," Ben repeated. "Don't leave me for two more minutes.

"Ben, I'm cold," Alex mumbled, shivering and leaning into the man. Ben took off his jacket and put it over him. There was a tense moment of silence as everyone looked to the horizon for the hospital. Finally, it came into view.

"Alex, still with us?" Snake called. There was no answer. "Alex?" Still nothing. Snake grabbed one of Alex's arms and pressed two fingers into his wrist, searching for a pulse. Cammie and Ben were both tensely waiting for the verdict. Snake shook his head grimly.

"It's really weak. He's definitely unconscious and there's no way we can possibly wake him up." There was another tense moment of silence as the helicopter hovered over the hospital and then finally landed. Wolf and Eagle were out in and instant. Snake and Ben gingerly picked up Alex. Snake said something to Cammie that sounded fuzzy.

"What?" She asked.

"Let go," Snake repeated. "Cammie, you have to let go of him." Cammie looked down to find she was still holding Alex's hand. She let go and watched as he was handed to Wolf and Eagle who then placed him on a gurney the hospital staff rushed out to them. Both of the men were restrained when they tried to follow. There was an argument and then they walked back to the rest of the group.

"We have to go sit in the waiting room," Wolf informed them, scowling. "They're taking him right to surgery and we aren't allowed. Cammie, your mom was informed that we have you and she should be here soon." Cammie nodded numbly and stared after Alex. She moved to stand next to her friends. The SAS men lead the group down to the waiting room. The four Gallagher girls sat together on one side of the room and the four SAS men sat on the other.

"Cammie, what happened after they took you?" Bex asked lowly so as not to be overheard. "We heard screaming. It sounded like just Alex and then it stopped and there were two gun shots." Cammie stared at her blankly for a minute and Bex almost thought she wasn't going to answer.

"He was tied to a chair and there were these heavy chains. It looked ridiculous," she whispered. The other three girls leaned in closer so they could hear her. Cammie didn't look at them. She stared into space, deep in her memory. "The Russian, Klokov, wanted me to help."

"Help with what Cammie?" Macey asked gently. Cammie met her eyes.

"Help torture him. The chains had some sort of electrical current thing that could be turned on and off. He made me press the button." Cammie dropped her gaze to the floor, unable to look any of her friends in the eyes. "He was screaming but I couldn't help him. I couldn't even get my thumb out from under Klokov's. It lasted forever. He finally let me stop and I ran over to Alex and he said just do it. He told me to listen to Klokov, to just do what he said because K-unit was on their way and they'd get us out."

"How did he know?" Liz asked.

"His watch. He called them before we left the hotel and warned them that if something went wrong they better hurry. They got there too late."

"Cammie, why'd he shoot Alex?" Bex asked. Cammie shook her head.

"Don't hate me," she cried, tears trailing down her cheeks for what felt like the hundredth time. Macey shook her head, wrapping her arm around her friend.

"Cammie, there is no way we could ever hate you," Macey soothed. "We just want to know what happened. It's not your fault he made you torture Alex okay? It's not your fault he shot Alex. We just want to know why." Cammie nodded, wiping the tears away.

"He made me do it again. He made me press the button until Alex passed out. The guards untied him but Klokov made them stop, saying I was the priority. I didn't know if they were going to take me back to you guys or not but they wouldn't let me see if Alex was okay first so I fought them and Alex woke up and knocked them out and then Klokov shot him."

"What about the second gunshot?" Bex asked.

"He was going to shoot me too but K-unit shot him first." The girls sat in silence for a moment and Cammie couldn't meet any of their eyes. Finally, Liz spoke up.

"It's not your fault Cammie," she said. "Klokov was crazy. Alex is tough. He'll pull through." Cammie glanced up at her and attempted a smile.

 **A/N: Hey guys. So, it's been awhile. Sorry about that. How did you like the chapter? Review and let me know. I wonder what's going to happen to Alex. Anyway, I'll just get on with my usual begging. Please read and review. I love hearing your comments** **! If you are a guest you can still review and I will respond to you in the next chapter. Thanks for sticking with me everyone!**


	10. Comatose

**Chapter 10: Comatose **

Five hours later Bex shook Cammie awake. Cammie jumped and Bex pointed to a doctor. He seemed to be looking for someone and when he saw the girls he nodded at them and walked over. K-unit scrambled over to join the group and hear what he had to say.

"Ah. We have the whole group here. Good," the man started off nervously. "I'm not going to give you false hope, it doesn't look great. Alex is in critical condition. We have him on a ventilator system right now though we're hopeful he'll eventually come off that. He had multiple broken bones along with the bullet wound and his lungs are slightly enflamed like he's been drowned and resuscitated a couple of times." At this announcement the girls shot each other dark looks.

"What's going on here gentlemen?" The doctor asked of K-unit, catching the looks the girls were throwing around at each other. Wolf shook his head.

"We can't legally tell you doc," the man replied with a regretful look on his face.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I say," Wolf said, digging out his badge and showing the doctor. "Us four are British SAS. I'm sorry doc but you're just going to have to trust us." The man nodded.

"Very well. We put Alex in a room if you want to follow me." The doctor led the way followed closely by the girls and the four soldiers. Ben gasped when he saw Alex. The boy looked like he was hooked up to just about every machine in the hospital. He looked small and broken among them all.

"I'll leave you guys alone. Press the call button if you need anything," the doctor said, backing out of the room and shutting the door. Cammie grabbed a chair and sat next to Alex, grabbing his hand again. Ben sat on the other side and the rest of the group spread out around the room. Bex kept glancing at the door uneasily.

"Waiting for someone?" Ben asked causally, suspecting the answer would be no.

"Umm. . . Not really," Bex answered, blushing. Ben got up and opened the door, then sat back down.

"How did you know?" Bex asked quietly, embarrassed. Ben gave her a flat look.

"I've spent countless hours with the ever paranoid Alex," he answered. "The better question is how could I not have known right away."

"Alex never said anything," Macey mentioned. Ben gave her a wry smile.

"And he's told you everything? Has he told you about his nightmares? Has he mentioned his PTSD? Did he tell you why he refuses to go see a shrink? That's something I'd like to know." Macey shook her head.

"I never even considered. . ." She trailed off.

"I knew," Cammie said quietly. "About the nightmares. I just kind of assumed about the PTSD. I've noticed that he's overly paranoid to the point where it can distract him." Ben looked at her in surprise. "And I have an idea of why he doesn't want to see someone about it," she continued.

"How. . .?" Ben asked, trailing off. "He wouldn't have told you. It's not his style." Cammie half smiled, shaking her head in agreement.

"Nope. Definitely not his style. I had suspected paranoia from jumping on the plane at the last minute. When we got off he told us to go find the agent we were meeting and instead of scanning the crowds, he scanned the buildings. He and Erin checked the hotel for bugs and even when they didn't find anything I could tell he tried to be as vague as possible. We shared a room and he read to try to stay awake. He fell asleep anyway and woke up to a nightmare. He said it was about Jack. . ." She trailed off as Ben glanced down at the name.

"It's always about Jack," Ben murmured in explanation. "He blames himself for her death. Then again, there has to be some lasting psychological affect when someone who looks, talks, and in some ways acts exactly like you, blows up your best friend. She was his only friend at the time."

The room lapsed into silence again. Suddenly, they could hear two pair of footsteps rushing down the hall. The girls jumped to their feet, subconsciously shifting to block Alex. Ben and Wolf shared a look upon noticing this reaction. Ben half smiled, standing up as well, just as a woman entered the room. There was a moment of quiet as she stopped, taking in the occupants of the room, clearly looking for someone in particular. K-unit and the Gallagher girls stared back at her, surprised.

"Mom!" Cammie exclaimed in relief, leaving Alex for a second to hug her mother.

"Cammie!" the woman exclaimed, hugging her daughter tightly. "Oh thank god you're alright!" The second person, a man, hovered in the doorway, hesitant to enter the room and possibly disrupt the mother daughter reunion. He glanced around the room vigilantly, sizing up the strange men accompanying the girls.

"Why is Mr. Solomon here?" Cammie asked as she stepped back from her mom.

"He wanted to make sure everyone was alright. . . And I asked him to come."

"Who are you?" Mr. Solomon asked of the soldiers suspiciously. "Are you from MI6?" Wolf laughed bitterly.

"Never in a million years. You think we would let shit like this happen to him if we were? This is all kinds of messed up MI6 crap." Ben shot Wolf a warning look and the unit leader glared back.

"We're SAS," Ben explained, turning back to the newcomers. "I'm actually Alex's guardian as well. We were sent to rescue him and your girls."

"Who is he?" the other man asked in both wonder and distrust.

"Someone who's saved life as we know it many times over!" Wolf shot back defensively.

"Wolf, take a walk," Ben demanded. "You're not helping and you need to go cool off."

"Don't order me around Ben!" Wolf snarled. "I'm the unit leader here, not you!"

"And as your unit member, I'm asking you to please go take a walk before you say or do something you'll regret. You're stressed and I get it. A walk will help." The other occupants in the room watched the exchange curiously. Wolf threw Ben a death glare that would have cowed just about anyone else but Ben held his gaze evenly. Finally, Wolf spun on his heel and left, mumbling threats under his breath. Ben waited until he was out of earshot before speaking again.

"I'm sorry about him. He's under a lot of stress and he can get very defensive of Alex."

"So, is he telling the truth?" Mrs. Morgan asked.

"About Cub?" Eagle jumped in. "Yeah, kid's a fricken genius!"

"Cub?" She asked.

"Mom, he's talking about Alex. He trained with them for a week." Both adults raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"He was SAS?" Mr. Soloman asked. "He's just a kid! How old is he?"

"He's not just a kid," Ben stated seriously. "He hasn't been just a kid for a long while. He's seen things that even some veteran soldiers haven't seen."

"How old is he?" Mr. Solomon repeated. Ben's jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth in anger for a moment.

"Seventeen," he answered quietly. "He's been doing this since he was 14." Mrs. Morgan and Mr. Solomon looked surprised.

"You've been letting him do this since he was 14?" Mr. Solomon asked incredulously. "Some guardian you are!"

"Hey!" Snake jumped in as Eagle's head snapped in Mr. Solomon's direction too. "That's way too far. Cub didn't get into this because of us. He got into this because his uncle was killed doing it and MI6 blackmailed him into taking his place."

"Some government you guys have over there then huh?" Mr. Solomon shot back. "Who could do this to a kid?"

"You'd be surprised at the things you don't know," Ben smiled wryly, the light never reaching his eyes. "The CIA has borrowed him more than once."

"The CIA?" Mrs. Morgan replied, looking frightened. The three SAS men nodded.

"Yeah. Then they tried to train their own version of child spies but it's not really something you can teach. It takes a special breed to be spies. It's 90% instinct. All of theirs failed within the first mission or two," Ben announced. Mrs. Morgan looked horrified. Even Snake and Eagle were looking at Ben in surprise.

"I didn't know the CIA went that far off the deep end," Snake commented. Then he shook his head. "I believe it though." Ben shrugged.

"It's true." Mr. Solomon looked like he wanted to object but their conversation was momentarily halted by the arrival of Alex's doctor. Wolf, having seen him in the hallway, wasn't far behind. Everyone waited in tense silence as the man checked Alex's vitals and looked over his bandages for signs that they needed to be changed.

"So, what's the verdict doc?" Wolf asked nervously.

"He's stable for now. I'll be in here every four or five hours to check on him."

"When's he expected to wake up?" Wolf asked. The doctor shrugged.

"It's hard to say. He could wake up in a few hours or he could never wake up. It all depends."

"He might not wake up?" Ben asked. Wolf put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

"What are his chances?" Snake asked.

"Currently, about 70%, but every day that he fails to regain consciousness that percentage will fall. Please alert me or one of the nurses if anything in his condition changes." The SAS men nodded, realizing for the first time just how much trouble Alex was actually in. The room lapsed into silence as the doctor left.

"Cub, you better fucking wake up," Wolf whispered as he comfortingly rubbed the back of Alex's hand, his voice breaking. It was the first time anyone outside of the unit had ever seen the normally gruff man break down.

 **A/N: Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. I haven't had a lot of time to write. College is hard. Also, I've had this chapter written since about Thanksgiving but I thought my next chapter was going to be my last one and I wanted to wait and see how long that one was going to be in case I had to combine it with this one. As it turns out, it's a lot longer than I thought it was going to be so, not to get your hopes up or anything, but I might end up with two chapters after this one. Anyway, thanks for being patient with me. I almost have the next chapter written so hopefully I can get it up within the next month or so at the latest. Thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited this story and managed to stick with it this far. You have no idea how much it means to me.**


	11. Awakening

**Chapter 11: Awakening**

It had been almost two weeks since Alex had been admitted to the hospital. Nothing about his condition seemed to be improving and his chances of ever waking up were falling each day. Already they were below 50%.

The only thing that had changed was that a few days ago Alex had suffered a heart attack, significantly lowering the odds that he would wake. It had been scary. Cammie had woken up to the sounds of what seemed like every machine in the hospital beeping and Alex convulsing. Ben was somehow there instantly, pulling her away from him as the nurses ushered them out into the hallway so they would have space to work. Somehow the doctors were still hopeful, though Cammie wasn't so sure that the teen would recover anymore.

She wasn't going to give up on him though. Ben was passed out in a chair by the window. Cammie was sitting in the one by the bed. She was thinking about what it would be like to lay down next to Alex again, like how they had the night before the mission. She was thinking about everything she wanted to tell him, about kissing his soft lips and him kissing back, needing her. They say that sometimes people in commas can hear and understand what's going on around them, so she started to talk to him.

Cammie whispered anything and everything to the unconscious teen. She told him how much everyone still needed him, how much she still needed him. She told him about K-unit, about the Gallagher Girls who had all left for school again. She talked to him until she fell asleep.

* * *

Alex woke slowly. As he became more aware, the pain came, crashing over him in huge waves. Alex felt his breathing hitch and he fought to get it back under control. His body felt sluggish and heavy and he could feel his hair matted down with sweat. There was something in his mouth. With great difficulty, Alex forced his eyes to open. The room he was in was dark. The only light was what leaked in from the hall through the crack under the door. Alex felt his eyes close again and he forced them open. He was so tired. Why was he so tired? And why did his whole body hurt? Alex couldn't remember where he was or who he was with. Was he in trouble?

Gradually, he noticed a light pressure on his pointer finger. It took a massive amount of effort to raise the hand, more than it should've. Briefly, Alex wondered if he'd been drugged. In the dim lighting, Alex saw a small white pulse monitor attached to his finger. Alex went to remove it but his other hand was caught on something. He turned his head to see a girl. She was sitting in a chair but she was sleeping with her head on his arm and her hand in his.

He watched her for awhile, resting his free hand on his chest since he didn't have the strength to hold it up any longer. She was pretty. His eyes closed without his consent but he didn't try to open them again. He was just so tired. Instead of fighting it, he let himself fade back into unconsciousness.

* * *

Cammie woke to the smell of coffee. She looked around to find she had fallen asleep with her head on Alex's arm. Ben smiled at her and handed her a cup of coffee, which she took gratefully.

"Thanks," she said, glancing at Alex. She frowned. He was still unconscious but there was something different. She couldn't quite place it though. "Ben, did something happen?" She asked, gesturing toward Alex. He shook his head, glancing at the boy and immediately stopped.

"What?" Cammie asked. "Does something seem off to you too?" Ben nodded distractedly, not taking his eyes off the boy. Cammie also turned her attention back to Alex, trying to figure out what wasn't right.

"There!" Ben exclaimed, pointing. "Look at his hand. It was by his side before. Now it's on his chest. And his head was straight. Now it's pointed toward you. He moved."

"But he. . ." Cammie trailed off. "What does that mean?" Ben shrugged.

"I have no idea but it has to be an improvement right?" He said, getting excited. Snake and Eagle walked in, also carrying coffee. Snake woke up Wolf and handed him a drink before noticing how excited Cammie and Ben seemed to be.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Alex moved!" Cammie exclaimed. Wolf did a spit take.

"Cub what?" He asked, scrambling to his feet and moving toward the bed, not bothering to brush off the coffee that was now all over his shirt.

"Yeah," Ben said. "Look. His hand moved from his side to his chest and his head is tilted toward Cammie."

"When did he move?" Snake asked. Both Cammie and Ben shrugged.

"It must have happened sometime last night," Cammie guessed.

"So you have no idea if he actually woke up?" Snake said. Ben's face fell slightly.

"Well, no, but it's gotta be an improvement right?" Ben asked hopefully. Everyone in the room was looking at Snake, holding their breaths.

"It's an improvement, but we need to talk to Cub's doctor to know exactly what that means for him."

"On it!" Eagle sang, shooting out of the room before anyone could protest, not that they would've. He was back a couple minutes later with the doctor and a nurse in tow. Both were wearing a neutral expression on their face but once entering the room, they didn't stop until they were standing at the monitor by Alex that monitored his brain waves. They messed with the monitor for a bit before stopping and looking at a still frame. The nurse and the doctor glanced at each other and nodded, seeming to confirm that they'd both seen what they thought they had.

"What?" Wolf asked, getting impatient. Snake shushed him, waiting for the doctor to speak.

"There was a point last night where Alex's brainwaves spiked for about 10 minutes, meaning he was awake, or at least partially aware for a short period of time."

"What does that mean for him?" Ben inquired.

"It's a good sign. It means he's much more likely to pull through. He should start waking with more frequency and for longer periods of time." Wolf's face spread into the widest grin he'd ever had. He was so filled with relief. All he could think was that Cub was going to be okay!

 **A/N: Okay, so I didn't get this up in a couple months like I said I would but it's here now. That counts for something right? And it didn't end up being as long as I thought either. I originally had more to this chapter but it kinda started to drone on and I was having trouble finding a good place to just end the story. The climax already happened. This was just the falling action. Anyway, I reread what I had and decided that this makes a better ending. Sorry to those of you who were hoping for another chapter. This story is officially done. Thanks for sticking with it everyone. I really appreciate it. I'm glad you all liked it. Please review and let me know what I could do better! I always enjoy constructive criticism.**


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